Great Is the Lord
Of David.
1 Contend, O Lord, with those who ycontend with me;
zfight against those who fight against me!
2 Take hold of ashield and buckler
and rise for my help!
3 Draw the spear and javelin1
against my pursuers!
Say to my soul,
“I am your salvation!”
4 bLet them be cput to shame and dishonor
who seek after my life!
Let them be dturned back and disappointed
who devise evil against me!
5 Let them be like echaff before the wind,
with the angel of the Lord driving them away!
6 Let their way be dark and fslippery,
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them!
7 For gwithout cause hthey hid their net for me;
without cause they dug ia pit for my life.2
8 Let jdestruction come upon him kwhen he does not know it!
And let the net that he hid ensnare him;
let him fall into it—to his destruction!
9 Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord,
lexulting in his salvation.
10 All my mbones shall say,
“O Lord, nwho is like you,
delivering the poor
from him who is too strong for him,
the poor and needy from him who robs him?”
11 oMalicious3 witnesses rise up;
they ask me of things that I do not know.
12 pThey repay me evil for good;
my soul is bereft.4
13 But I, qwhen they were sick—
I rwore sackcloth;
I safflicted myself with fasting;
I prayed twith head bowed5 on my chest.
14 I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother;
as one who laments his mother,
I ubowed down in mourning.
15 But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered;
they gathered together against me;
vwretches whom I did not know
tore at me without ceasing;
16 like profane mockers at a feast,6
they wgnash at me with their teeth.
17 How long, O Lord, will you xlook on?
Rescue me from their destruction,
ymy precious life from the lions!
18 I will thank you in zthe great congregation;
in the mighty throng I will praise you.
19 aLet not those rejoice over me
who are bwrongfully my foes,
and let not those cwink the eye
20 For they do not speak peace,
but against those who are quiet in the land
they devise words of deceit.
21 They fopen wide their mouths against me;
they say, g“Aha, Aha!
Our eyes have seen it!”
22 hYou have seen, O Lord; ibe not silent!
O Lord, jbe not far from me!
23 Awake and krouse yourself for lmy vindication,
for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24 mVindicate me, O Lord, my God,
according to your righteousness,
and nlet them not rejoice over me!
25 Let them not say in their hearts,
o“Aha, our heart’s desire!”
Let them not say, p“We have swallowed him up.”
26 Let them be qput to shame and disappointed altogether
who rejoice at my calamity!
Let them be rclothed with shame and dishonor
who smagnify themselves against me!
27 Let those who delight in my righteousness
shout for joy and be glad
tand say evermore,
u“Great is the Lord,
who vdelights in the welfare of his servant!”
28 Then my wtongue shall tell of your righteousness
and of your praise all the day long.
Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when vNathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
according to your steadfast love;
according to your xabundant mercy
yblot out my transgressions.
2 zWash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and acleanse me from my sin!
3 bFor I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 cAgainst you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil din your sight,
eso that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, fI was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in gthe inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
7 Purge me hwith hyssop, and I shall be clean;
zwash me, and I shall be iwhiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
jlet the bones kthat you have broken rejoice.
9 lHide your face from my sins,
and yblot out all my iniquities.
10 mCreate in me a nclean heart, O God,
and orenew a right2 spirit within me.
11 pCast me not away from your presence,
and take not qyour Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will rreturn to you.
14 Deliver me from sbloodguiltiness, O God,
O tGod of my salvation,
and umy tongue will sing aloud of your vrighteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 wFor you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are xa broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18 yDo good to Zion in your good pleasure;
zbuild up the walls of Jerusalem;
19 then will you delight in aright sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and bwhole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
