30I will praise God’s name in song

and exalt Him with thanksgiving.

31And this will please the LORD more than an ox,

more than a bull with horns and hooves.

32The humble will see and rejoice.

You who seek God, let your hearts be revived!

33For the LORD listens to the needy

and does not despise His captive people.

34Let heaven and earth praise Him,

the seas and everything that moves in them.

35For God will save Zion

and rebuild the cities of Judah,

that they may dwell there and possess it.

36The descendants of His servants will inherit it,

and those who love His name will settle in it.

Hurry, O LORD, to Help Me!

For the choirmaster. Of David. To bring remembrance.

1Make haste, O God, to deliver me!

Hurry, O LORD, to help me!

2May those who seek my life

be ashamed and confounded;

may those who wish me harm

be repelled and humiliated.

3May those who say, “Aha, aha!”

retreat because of their shame.

4May all who seek You

rejoice and be glad in You;

may those who love Your salvation always say,

“Let God be magnified!”

5But I am poor and needy;

hurry to me, O God.

You are my help and my deliverer;

O LORD, do not delay.

Be My Rock of Refuge

1In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge;

let me never be put to shame.

2In Your justice, rescue and deliver me;

incline Your ear and save me.

3Be my rock of refuge,

where I can always go.

Give the command to save me,

for You are my rock and my fortress.

4Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,

from the grasp of the unjust and ruthless.

5For You are my hope, O Lord GOD,

my confidence from my youth.

6I have leaned on You since birth;

You pulled me from my mother’s womb.

My praise is always for You.

7I have become a portent to many,

but You are my strong refuge.

8My mouth is filled with Your praise

and with Your splendor all day long.

9Do not discard me in my old age;

do not forsake me when my strength fails.

10For my enemies speak against me,

and those who lie in wait for my life conspire,

11saying, “God has forsaken him;

pursue him and seize him,

for there is no one to rescue him.”

12Be not far from me, O God.

Hurry, O my God, to help me.

13May the accusers of my soul

be ashamed and consumed;

may those who seek my harm

be covered with scorn and disgrace.

14But I will always hope

and will praise You more and more.

15My mouth will declare Your righteousness

and Your salvation all day long,

though I cannot know their full measure.

16I will enter in the strength of the Lord GOD;

I will proclaim Your righteousness—Yours alone.

17O God, You have taught me from my youth,

and to this day I proclaim Your marvelous deeds.

18Even when I am old and gray,

do not forsake me, O God,

until I proclaim Your power to the next generation,

Your might to all who are to come.

19Your righteousness reaches to the heavens, O God,

You who have done great things.

Who, O God, is like You?

20Though You have shown me many troubles and misfortunes,

You will revive me once again.

Even from the depths of the earth

You will bring me back up.

21You will increase my honor

and comfort me once again.

22So I will praise You with the harp

for Your faithfulness, O my God;

I will sing praise to You with the lyre,

O Holy One of Israel.

23When I sing praise to You

my lips will shout for joy,

along with my soul,

which You have redeemed.

24My tongue will indeed proclaim

Your righteousness all day long,

for those who seek my harm

are disgraced and confounded.

Endow the King with Your Justice

Of Solomon.

1Endow the king with Your justice, O God,

and the son of the king with Your righteousness.

2May he judge Your people with righteousness

and Your afflicted with justice.

3May the mountains bring peace to the people,

and the hills bring righteousness.

4May he vindicate the afflicted among the people;

may he save the children of the needy

and crush the oppressor.

5May they fear him as long as the sun shines,

as long as the moon remains,

through all generations.

6May he be like rain that falls on freshly cut grass,

like spring showers that water the earth.

7May the righteous flourish in his days

and prosperity abound,

until the moon is no more.

8May he rule from sea to sea,

and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.

9May the nomads bow before him,

and his enemies lick the dust.

10May the kings of Tarshish and distant shores bring tribute;

may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.

11May all kings bow down to him

and all nations serve him.

12For he will deliver the needy who cry out

and the afflicted who have no helper.

13He will take pity on the poor and needy

and save the lives of the oppressed.

14He will redeem them from oppression and violence,

for their blood is precious in his sight.

15Long may he live!

May gold from Sheba be given him.

May people ever pray for him;

may they bless him all day long.

16May there be an abundance of grain in the land;

may it sway atop the hills.

May its fruit trees flourish like the forests of Lebanon,

and its people like the grass of the field.

17May his name endure forever;

may his name continue as long as the sun shines.

In him may all nations be blessed;

may they call him blessed.

18Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel,

who alone does marvelous deeds.

19And blessed be His glorious name forever;

may all the earth be filled with His glory.

Amen and amen.

BOOK III

Surely God Is Good to Israel

A Psalm of Asaph.

1Surely God is good to Israel,

to those who are pure in heart.

2But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;

my steps had nearly slipped.

3For I envied the arrogant

when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4They have no struggle in their death;

their bodies are well-fed.

5They are free of the burdens others carry;

they are not afflicted like other men.

6Therefore pride is their necklace;

a garment of violence covers them.

7From their prosperity proceeds iniquity;

the imaginations of their hearts run wild.

8They mock and speak with malice;

with arrogance they threaten oppression.

9They set their mouths against the heavens,

and their tongues strut across the earth.

10So their people return to this place

and drink up waters in abundance.

11The wicked say, “How can God know?

Does the Most High have knowledge?”

12Behold, these are the wicked—

always carefree as they increase their wealth.