Study Desk

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

^(a)In You, O Lord , I have taken refuge; Let me never ^(b)be ashamed; ^(c)In Your righteousness deliver me.

^(d)Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly; Be to me a ^(e)rock of ^[a]strength, A stronghold to save me.

For You are my ^[b]rock and ^(f)my fortress; For ^(g)Your name's sake You will lead me and guide me.

You will ^(h)pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my ⁽ⁱ⁾strength.

^(j)Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have ^(k)ransomed me, O Lord , ^(l)God of ^[c]truth.

I hate those who ^(m)regard ^[d]vain idols, But I ⁽ⁿ⁾trust in the Lord .

I will ^(o)rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness, Because You have ^(p)seen my affliction; You have known the troubles of my soul,

And You have not ^(q)given me over into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a large place.

Be gracious to me, O Lord , for ^(r)I am in distress; My ^(s)eye is wasted away from grief, ^(t)my soul and my body also.

For my life is spent with ^(u)sorrow And my years with sighing; My ^(v)strength has failed because of my iniquity, And ^(w)my ^[e]body has wasted away.

Because of all my adversaries, I have become a ^(x)reproach, Especially to my ^(y)neighbors, And an object of dread to my acquaintances; Those who see me in the street flee from me.

I am ^(z)forgotten as a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel.

For I have heard the ^[f](aa)slander of many, ^(ab)Terror is on every side; While they ^(ac)took counsel together against me, They ^(ad)schemed to take away my life.

But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord , I say, "^(ae)You are my God."

My ^(af)times are in Your hand; ^(ag)Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.

Make Your ^(ah)face to shine upon Your servant; ^(ai)Save me in Your lovingkindness.

Let me not be ^(aj)put to shame, O Lord , for I call upon You; Let the ^(ak)wicked be put to shame, let them ^(al)be silent in ^[g]Sheol.

Let the ^(am)lying lips be mute, Which ^(an)speak arrogantly against the righteous With pride and contempt.

How great is Your ^(ao)goodness, Which You have stored up for those who fear You, Which You have wrought for those who ^(ap)take refuge in You, ^(aq)Before the sons of men!

You hide them in the ^(ar)secret place of Your presence from the ^(as)conspiracies of man; You keep them secretly in a ^[h]shelter from the ^(at)strife of tongues.

^(au)Blessed be the Lord , For He has made ^(av)marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged ^(aw)city.

As for me, ^(ax)I said in my alarm, "I am ^(ay)cut off from before Your eyes"; Nevertheless You ^(az)heard the voice of my supplications When I cried to You.

O love the Lord , all you ^(ba)His godly ones! The Lord ^(bb)preserves the faithful And fully ^(bc)recompenses the proud doer.

^(bd)Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who ^[i]hope in the Lord .

A Psalm of David.

Contend, O Lord , with those who ^(a)contend with me; Fight against those who ^(b)fight against me.

Take hold of ^[a](c)buckler and shield And rise up for ^(d)my help.

Draw also the spear and ^[b]the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me; Say to my soul, "I am ^(e)your salvation."

Let those be ^(f)ashamed and dishonored who seek my ^[c]life; Let those be ^(g)turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me.

Let them be ^(h)like chaff before the wind, With the angel of the Lord driving them on.

Let their way be dark and ⁽ⁱ⁾slippery, With the angel of the Lord pursuing them.

For ^(j)without cause they ^(k)hid their net for me; Without cause they dug a ^[d]pit for my soul.

Let ^(l)destruction come upon him unawares, And ^(m)let the net which he hid catch himself; Into that very ⁽ⁿ⁾destruction let him fall.

And my soul shall ^(o)rejoice in the Lord ; It shall ^(p)exult in His salvation.

All my ^(q)bones will say, " Lord , ^(r)who is like You, Who delivers the afflicted from him ^(s)who is too strong for him, And ^(t)the afflicted and the needy from him who robs him?"

^(u)Malicious witnesses rise up; They ask me of things that I do not know.

They ^(v)repay me evil for good, To the bereavement of my soul.

But as for me, ^(w)when they were sick, my ^(x)clothing was sackcloth; I ^(y)humbled my soul with fasting, And my ^(z)prayer kept returning to my bosom.

I went about as though it were my friend or brother; I ^(aa)bowed down ^[e]mourning, as one who sorrows for a mother.

But ^(ab)at my ^[f]stumbling they rejoiced and gathered themselves together; The ^[g](ac)smiters whom I did not know gathered together against me, They ^[h](ad)slandered me without ceasing.

Like godless jesters at a feast, They ^(ae)gnashed at me with their teeth.

Lord, ^(af)how long will You look on? Rescue my soul ^(ag)from their ravages, My ^(ah)only life from the lions.

I will ^(ai)give You thanks in the great congregation; I will ^(aj)praise You among a mighty throng.

^(ak)Do not let those who are wrongfully ^(al)my enemies rejoice over me; Nor let those ^(am)who hate me without cause ^[i](an)wink maliciously.

For they do not speak peace, But they devise ^(ao)deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.

They ^(ap)opened their mouth wide against me; They said, "^(aq)Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it!"

^(ar)You have seen it, O Lord , ^(as)do not keep silent; O Lord, ^(at)do not be far from me.

^(au)Stir up Yourself, and awake to my right And to my cause, my God and my Lord.

^(av)Judge me, O Lord my God, according to Your righteousness, And ^(aw)do not let them rejoice over me.

Do not let them say in their heart, "^(ax)Aha, our desire!" Do not let them say, "We have ^(ay)swallowed him up!"

Let ^(az)those be ashamed and humiliated altogether who rejoice at my distress; Let those be ^(ba)clothed with shame and dishonor who ^(bb)magnify themselves over me.

Let them ^(bc)shout for joy and rejoice, who favor ^(bd)my vindication; And ^(be)let them say continually, "The Lord be magnified, Who ^(bf)delights in the prosperity of His servant."

And ^(bg)my tongue shall declare Your righteousness And Your praise all day long.