Study Desk

Give the king ^(C1)Your judgments, God, And ^(C2)Your righteousness to the king's son.

^(F1)May ^(F2)he ^(C1)judge Your people with righteousness And ^(F3)(C2)Your afflicted with justice.

^(F1)May the mountains bring ^(F2)(C1)peace to the people, And the hills, in righteousness.

^(F1)May he ^(C1)vindicate the ^(F2)afflicted of the people, Save the children of the needy, And crush the oppressor.

^(F1)May they fear You ^(C1)while the sun shines, And ^(F2)as long as the moon shines, throughout all generations.

^(F1)May he come down ^(C1)like rain upon the mown grass, Like ^(C2)showers that water the earth.

^(F1)May the ^(C1)righteous flourish in his days, As well as an ^(C2)abundance of peace, until the moon is no more.

May he also rule ^(C1)from sea to sea, And from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.

^(F1)May ^(C1)the nomads of the desert ^(C2)bow before him, And his enemies ^(C3)lick the dust.

^(F1)May the kings of ^(C1)Tarshish and of the ^(F2)(C2)islands bring gifts; May the kings of ^(C3)Sheba and ^(C4)Seba ^(C5)offer tributes.

^(F1)And may all ^(C1)kings bow down before him, All ^(C2)nations serve him.

For he will ^(C1)save the needy when he cries for help, The ^(F1)afflicted also, and him who has no helper.

He will have ^(C1)compassion on the poor and needy, And he will save the ^(F1)lives of the needy.

He will ^(F1)(C1)rescue their ^(F2)life from oppression and violence, And their blood will be ^(C2)precious in his sight;

So may he live, and may the ^(C1)gold of Sheba be given to him; And ^(F1)they are to pray for him continually; ^(F2)They are to bless him all day long.

May there be abundance of grain on the earth on top of the mountains; Its fruit will wave like the cedars of ^(C1)Lebanon; And may those from the city flourish like the ^(C2)vegetation of the earth.

May his ^(C1)name endure forever; May his name produce descendants ^(F1)(C2)as long as the sun shines; And may people ^(C3)wish blessings on themselves by him; ^(C4)May all nations call him blessed.

^(C1)Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who alone ^(C2)works wonders.

And blessed be His ^(C1)glorious name forever; And may the whole ^(C2)earth be filled with His glory. ^(C3)Amen and Amen.

The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

God certainly is ^(C1)good to Israel, To those who are ^(C2)pure in heart!

But as for me, ^(C1)my feet came close to stumbling, My steps ^(F1)had almost slipped.

For I was ^(C1)envious of the ^(F1)arrogant As I saw the ^(C2)prosperity of the wicked.

For there are no pains in their death, And their belly is fat.

They are ^(C1)not ^(F1)in trouble like other people, Nor are they ^(C2)tormented together with the rest of mankind.

Therefore arrogance is ^(C1)their necklace; The ^(C2)garment of violence covers them.

Their eye ^(F1)bulges from ^(C1)fatness; The imaginations of their heart overflow.

They ^(C1)mock and ^(F1)wickedly speak of oppression; They ^(C2)speak from on high.

They have ^(C1)set their mouth ^(F1)against the heavens, And their tongue ^(F2)parades through the earth.

Therefore ^(F1)his people return here, And ^(C1)abundant waters are drunk by them.

They say, "^(C1)How does God know? And is there knowledge ^(F1)with the Most High?"

Behold, ^(C1)these are the wicked; And always ^(C2)at ease, they have increased in wealth.

Surely ^(C1)in vain I have ^(F1)kept my heart pure And ^(C2)washed my hands in innocence;

For I have been stricken ^(C1)all day long, And ^(F1)(C2)punished every morning.

If I had said, "I will speak this way," Behold, I would have betrayed the ^(C1)generation of Your children.

When I ^(C1)thought of understanding this, It was ^(F1)troublesome in my sight

Until I entered the ^(F1)(C1)sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their ^(C2)end.

You indeed put them on ^(C1)slippery ground; You dropped them into ^(F1)(C2)ruin.

How they are ^(F1)(C1)destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by ^(C2)sudden terrors!

Like a ^(C1)dream when one awakes, Lord, when ^(C2)stirred, You will ^(C3)despise their image.

When my ^(C1)heart was embittered And I was ^(C2)pierced ^(F1)within,

Then I was ^(C1)stupid and ignorant; I was like an ^(C2)animal ^(F1)before You.

Nevertheless ^(C1)I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand.

You will ^(C1)guide me with Your plan, And afterward ^(C2)receive me ^(F1)to glory.

^(C1)Whom do I have in heaven but You? And with You, I desire nothing on earth.

My ^(C1)flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the ^(F1)strength of my heart and my ^(C2)portion forever.

For, behold, ^(C1)those who are far from You will ^(C2)perish; You have destroyed all those who ^(F1)(C3)are unfaithful to You.

But as for me, ^(C1)the nearness of God is good for me; I have made the Lord ^(F1)GOD my ^(C2)refuge, So that I may ^(C3)tell of all Your works.

God, why have You ^(C1)rejected us forever? Why does Your anger ^(C2)smoke against the ^(C3)sheep of Your ^(F1)pasture?

Remember Your congregation, which You ^(C1)purchased of old, Which You have ^(C2)redeemed to be the ^(C3)tribe of Your inheritance; And this Mount ^(C4)Zion, where You have dwelt.

^(F1)Step toward the ^(F2)(C1)irreparable ruins; The enemy ^(C2)has damaged everything in the sanctuary.

Your adversaries have ^(C1)roared in the midst of Your meeting place; They have set up their ^(C2)own signs as ^(C3)signs.

It ^(F1)seems like one bringing up His ^(C1)axe into a ^(F2)forest of trees.

And now they break down ^(F1)all its ^(C1)carved work With axe and hammers.

They have ^(F1)(C1)burned Your sanctuary ^(F2)to the ground; They have ^(C2)defiled the dwelling place of Your name.

They ^(C1)said in their heart, "Let's ^(F1)completely ^(F2)subdue them." They have burned all the meeting places of God in the land.

We do not see our ^(C1)signs; There is ^(C2)no longer any prophet, Nor is there anyone among us who knows ^(C3)how long.

How long, God, will the enemy ^(C1)taunt You? Shall the enemy ^(C2)treat Your name disrespectfully forever?

Why ^(C1)do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand? Extend it from Your chest and ^(C2)destroy them!

Yet God is ^(C1)my King from long ago, Who performs acts of salvation in the midst of the earth.

^(F1)You ^(C1)divided the sea by Your strength; ^(F1)You ^(C2)broke the heads of the ^(C3)sea monsters ^(F2)in the waters.

^(F1)You crushed the heads of ^(F2)(C1)Leviathan; You gave him as food for the ^(F3)creatures ^(C2)of the wilderness.

^(F1)You ^(C1)broke open springs and torrents; ^(F1)You ^(C2)dried up ever-flowing streams.

Yours is the day, Yours also is the night; ^(F1)You have ^(C1)prepared the ^(F2)light and the sun.

^(F1)You have ^(C1)established all the boundaries of the earth; ^(F1)You have ^(F2)created ^(C2)summer and winter.

Remember this, ^(F1)LORD, that the enemy has ^(C1)taunted You, And a ^(C2)foolish people has treated Your name disrespectfully.

Do not give the soul of Your ^(C1)turtledove to the wild animal; ^(C2)Do not forget the life of Your afflicted forever.

Consider the ^(C1)covenant; For the ^(C2)dark places of the land are full of the places of violence.

May the ^(C1)oppressed person not return dishonored; May the ^(C2)afflicted and the needy praise Your name.

Arise, God, and ^(C1)plead Your own cause; Remember ^(F1)how the ^(C2)foolish person taunts You all day long.

Do not forget the voice of Your ^(C1)adversaries, The ^(C2)uproar of those who rise against You, which ascends continually.