Study Desk

For the choir director; according to ^[a]Mahalath. A ^[b]Maskil of David.

^(a)The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God," They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice; ^(b)There is no one who does good.

God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there is ^(c)anyone who ^[c]understands, Who ^(d)seeks after God.

^(e)Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.

Have the workers of wickedness ^(f)no knowledge, Who eat up My people as though they ate bread And have not called upon God?

There they were in great ^[d]fear ^(g)where no ^[e]fear had been; For God ^(h)scattered the bones of ^[f]him who encamped against you; You ⁽ⁱ⁾put them to shame, because ^(j)God had rejected them.

Oh, that ^(k)the salvation of Israel ^[g]would come out of Zion! When God ^[h]restores His captive people, ^[i]Let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A ^[a]Maskil of David.

^(a)Give ear to my prayer, O God; And ^(b)do not hide Yourself from my supplication.

Give ^(c)heed to me and answer me; I am restless in my ^(d)complaint and ^[b](e)am surely distracted,

Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the ^(f)pressure of the wicked; For they ^(g)bring down ^[c]trouble upon me And in anger they ^(h)bear a grudge against me.

My ⁽ⁱ⁾heart is in anguish within me, And the terrors of ^(j)death have fallen upon me.

Fear and ^(k)trembling come upon me, And ^[d](l)horror has overwhelmed me.

I said, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and ^[e](m)be at rest.

"Behold, I would wander far away, I would ⁽ⁿ⁾lodge in the wilderness. ^[f]Selah.

"I would hasten to my place of refuge From the ^(o)stormy wind and tempest."

^[g]Confuse, O Lord, ^(p)divide their tongues, For I have seen ^(q)violence and strife in the city.

Day and night they go around her upon her walls, And iniquity and mischief are in her midst.

^(r)Destruction is in her midst; ^(s)Oppression and deceit do not depart from her ^[h]streets.

For it is ^(t)not an enemy who reproaches me, Then I could bear it; Nor is it one who hates me who ^(u)has exalted himself against me, Then I could hide myself from him.

But it is you, a man ^[i]my equal, My ^(v)companion and my ^[j](w)familiar friend;

We who had sweet ^[k]fellowship together ^(x)Walked in the house of God in the throng.

Let ^[l]death come ^(y)deceitfully upon them; Let them ^(z)go down alive to ^[m]Sheol, For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.

As for me, I shall ^(aa)call upon God, And the Lord will save me.

^(ab)Evening and ^(ac)morning and at ^(ad)noon, I will complain and murmur, And He will hear my voice.

He will ^(ae)redeem my soul in peace ^[n]from the battle which is against me, For they are ^(af)many who strive with me.

God will ^(ag)hear and ^[o]answer them— Even the one ^(ah)who ^[p]sits enthroned from of old— Selah. With whom there ^[q]is no change, And who ^(ai)do not fear God.

He has put forth his hands against ^(aj)those who were at peace with him; He has ^[r](ak)violated his covenant.

His ^[s]speech was ^(al)smoother than butter, But his heart was war; His words were ^(am)softer than oil, Yet they were drawn ^(an)swords.

^(ao)Cast ^[t]your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; ^(ap)He will never allow the righteous to ^[u](aq)be shaken.

But You, O God, will bring them down to the ^[v](ar)pit of destruction; ^(as)Men of bloodshed and deceit will ^(at)not live out half their days. But I will ^(au)trust in You.

For the choir director; set to ^[a]Al-tashheth. A ^[b]Mikhtam of David.

Do you indeed ^[c]speak righteousness, O ^[d]gods? Do you ^(a)judge ^[e]uprightly, O sons of men?

No, in heart you ^(b)work unrighteousness; On earth you ^(c)weigh out the violence of your hands.

The wicked are estranged ^(d)from the womb; These who speak lies ^(e)go astray from ^[f]birth.

They have venom like the ^(f)venom of a serpent; Like a deaf cobra that stops up its ear,

So that it ^(g)does not hear the voice of ^[g](h)charmers, Or a skillful caster of spells.

O God, ⁽ⁱ⁾shatter their teeth in their mouth; Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord .

Let them ^(j)flow away like water that runs off; When he ^[h](k)aims his arrows, let them be as ^[i]headless shafts.

Let them be as a snail which ^[j]melts away as it goes along, Like the ^(l)miscarriages of a woman which never see the sun.

Before your ^(m)pots can feel the fire of thorns He will ⁽ⁿ⁾sweep them away with a whirlwind, the ^[k]green and the burning alike.

The ^(o)righteous will rejoice when he ^(p)sees the vengeance; He will ^(q)wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.

And men will say, "Surely there is a ^[l](r)reward for the righteous; Surely there is a God who ^(s)judges ^[m]on earth!"