13For great is Your loving devotion to me;

You have delivered me from the depths of Sheol.

14The arrogant rise against me, O God;

a band of ruthless men seeks my life,

with no regard for You.

15But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,

slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.

16Turn to me and have mercy;

grant Your strength to Your servant;

save the son of Your maidservant.

17Show me a sign of Your goodness,

that my enemies may see and be ashamed;

for You, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

The LORD Loves the Gates of Zion

A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A song.

1He has founded His city

on the holy mountains.

2The LORD loves the gates of Zion

more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

3Glorious things are ascribed to you,

O city of God.

Selah

4“I will mention Rahab and Babylon

among those who know Me—

along with Philistia, Tyre, and Cush —

when I say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’”

5And it will be said of Zion:

“This one and that one were born in her,

and the Most High Himself will establish her.”

6The LORD will record in the register of the peoples:

“This one was born in Zion.”

Selah

7Singers and pipers will proclaim,

“All my springs of joy are in You.”

I Cry Out before You

A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choirmaster. According to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.

1O LORD, the God of my salvation,

day and night I cry out before You.

2May my prayer come before You;

incline Your ear to my cry.

3For my soul is full of troubles,

and my life draws near to Sheol.

4I am counted among those descending to the Pit.

I am like a man without strength.

5I am forsaken among the dead,

like the slain who lie in the grave,

whom You remember no more,

who are cut off from Your care.

6You have laid me in the lowest Pit,

in the darkest of the depths.

7Your wrath weighs heavily upon me;

all Your waves have submerged me.

Selah

8You have removed my friends from me;

You have made me repulsive to them;

I am confined and cannot escape.

9My eyes grow dim with grief.

I call to You daily, O LORD;

I spread out my hands to You.

10Do You work wonders for the dead?

Do departed spirits rise up to praise You?

Selah

11Can Your loving devotion be proclaimed in the grave,

Your faithfulness in Abaddon?

12Will Your wonders be known in the darkness,

or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?

13But to You, O LORD, I cry for help;

in the morning my prayer comes before You.

14Why, O LORD, do You reject me?

Why do You hide Your face from me?

15From my youth I was afflicted and near death.

I have borne Your terrors; I am in despair.

16Your wrath has swept over me;

Your terrors have destroyed me.

17All day long they engulf me like water;

they enclose me on every side.

18You have removed my beloved and my friend;

darkness is my closest companion.

I Will Sing of His Love Forever

A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

1I will sing of the loving devotion of the LORD forever;

with my mouth I will proclaim Your faithfulness to all generations.

2For I have said, “Loving devotion is built up forever;

in the heavens You establish Your faithfulness.”

3You said, “I have made a covenant with My chosen one,

I have sworn to David My servant:

4‘I will establish your offspring forever

and build up your throne for all generations.’”

Selah

5The heavens praise Your wonders, O LORD—

Your faithfulness as well—

in the assembly of the holy ones.

6For who in the skies can compare with the LORD?

Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD?

7In the council of the holy ones, God is greatly feared,

and awesome above all who surround Him.

8O LORD God of Hosts, who is like You?

O mighty LORD, Your faithfulness surrounds You.

9You rule the raging sea;

when its waves mount up, You still them.

10You crushed Rahab like a carcass;

You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

11The heavens are Yours, and also the earth.

The earth and its fullness You founded.

12North and south You created;

Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at Your name.

13Mighty is Your arm; strong is Your hand.

Your right hand is exalted.

14Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;

loving devotion and faithfulness go before You.

15Blessed are those who know the joyful sound,

who walk, O LORD, in the light of Your presence.

16They rejoice in Your name all day long,

and in Your righteousness they exult.

17For You are the glory of their strength,

and by Your favor our horn is exalted.

18Surely our shield belongs to the LORD,

and our king to the Holy One of Israel.

19You once spoke in a vision;

to Your godly ones You said,

“I have bestowed help on a warrior;

I have exalted one chosen from the people.

20I have found My servant David;

with My sacred oil I have anointed him.

21My hand will sustain him;

surely My arm will strengthen him.

22No enemy will exact tribute;

no wicked man will oppress him.

23I will crush his foes before him

and strike down those who hate him.

24My faithfulness and loving devotion will be with him,

and through My name his horn will be exalted.

25I will set his hand over the sea,

and his right hand upon the rivers.

26He will call to Me, ‘You are my Father,

my God, the Rock of my salvation.’

27I will indeed appoint him as My firstborn,

the highest of the kings of the earth.

28I will forever preserve My loving devotion for him,

and My covenant with him will stand fast.

29I will establish his line forever,

his throne as long as the heavens endure.

30If his sons forsake My law

and do not walk in My judgments,

31if they violate My statutes

and fail to keep My commandments,

32I will attend to their transgression with the rod,

and to their iniquity with stripes.