7  As when one plows and breaks up the earth,

so shall our bones ^fbe scattered at the mouth of Sheol.¹

8  But ^gmy eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord;

^hin you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!²

9  Keep me from ⁱthe trap that they have laid for me

and from the snares of evildoers!

10  Let the wicked ^jfall into their own nets,

while I pass by safely.

1  With my voice I ^lcry out to the Lord;

with my voice I ^mplead for mercy to the Lord.

2  I ⁿpour out my complaint before him;

I tell my trouble before him.

3  When my spirit ^ofaints within me,

you know my way!

In the path where I walk

they have ^phidden a trap for me.

4  ^qLook to the ^rright and see:

^sthere is none who takes notice of me;

^tno refuge remains to me;

no one cares for my soul.

5  I cry to you, O Lord;

I say, “You are my ^urefuge,

my ^vportion in ^wthe land of the living.”

6  ^xAttend to my cry,

for ^yI am brought very low!

Deliver me from my persecutors,

^zfor they are too strong for me!

7  ^aBring me out of prison,

that I may give thanks to your name!

The righteous will surround me,

for you will ^bdeal bountifully with me.

1  Hear my prayer, O Lord;

^cgive ear to my pleas for mercy!

In your ^dfaithfulness answer me, in your ^drighteousness!

2  ^eEnter not into judgment with your servant,

for no one living is righteous ^fbefore you.

3  For the enemy has pursued my soul;

^ghe has crushed my life to the ground;

^hhe has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.

4  Therefore my spirit ⁱfaints within me;

my heart within me is appalled.

5  ^jI remember the days of old;

^kI meditate on all that you have done;

I ponder the work of your hands.

6  ^lI stretch out my hands to you;

^mmy soul thirsts for you like ⁿa parched land. Selah

7  ^oAnswer me quickly, O Lord!

^pMy spirit fails!

^qHide not your face from me,

^rlest I be like those who go down to the pit.

8  ^sLet me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,

for in you I ^ttrust.

^uMake me know the way I should go,

^vfor to you I lift up my soul.

9  ^wDeliver me from my enemies, O Lord!

I have fled to you for refuge.⁴

10  ^xTeach me to do your will,

for you are my God!

^yLet your good Spirit ^zlead me

on ^alevel ground!

11  ^bFor your name’s sake, O Lord, ^cpreserve my life!

In your righteousness ^dbring my soul out of trouble!

12  And in your steadfast love you will ^ecut off my enemies,

and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,

for I am your ^fservant.

1  Blessed be the Lord, my ^grock,

^hwho trains my hands for war,

and my fingers for battle;

2  he is my ⁱsteadfast love and my ^jfortress,

my ^kstronghold and my deliverer,

my ^lshield and he in whom I take refuge,

who ^msubdues peoples⁵ under me.

3  O Lord, ⁿwhat is man that you ^oregard him,

or the son of man that you think of him?

4  ^pMan is like a breath;

his days are like ^qa passing ^rshadow.

5  ^sBow your heavens, O Lord, and come down!

^tTouch the mountains so that they smoke!

6  ^uFlash forth the lightning and scatter them;

^usend out your arrows and rout them!

7  ^vStretch out your hand from on high;

^wrescue me and deliver me from the many waters,

from the hand ^xof foreigners,

8  whose mouths speak ^ylies

and whose right hand is ^za right hand of falsehood.

9  I will sing ^aa new song to you, O God;

upon ^aa ten-stringed harp I will play to you,

10  who gives victory to kings,

who ^brescues David his servant from the cruel sword.

11  Rescue me and deliver me

from the hand ^xof foreigners,

whose mouths speak ^ylies

and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

12  May our sons in their youth

be like ^cplants full grown,

our daughters like ^dcorner pillars

cut for the structure of a palace;

13  ^emay our granaries be full,

^fproviding all kinds of produce;

may our sheep bring forth thousands

and ten thousands in our fields;

14  may our cattle be heavy with young,

suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;⁶

may there be no ^gcry of distress in our streets!

15  ^hBlessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!

ⁱBlessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

1  ^jI will extol you, my God and ^kKing,

and bless your name forever and ever.

2  Every day I will bless you

^land praise your name forever and ever.

3  ^mGreat is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,

and his ⁿgreatness is unsearchable.

4  ^oOne generation shall commend your works to another,

and shall declare your mighty acts.

5  On ^pthe glorious splendor of your majesty,

and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

6  They shall speak of ^qthe might of your awesome deeds,

and I will declare your greatness.

7  They shall pour forth the fame of your ^rabundant goodness

and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

8  The Lord is ^sgracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9  The Lord is ^tgood to all,

and his mercy is over all that he has made.

10  ^uAll your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,

and all your ^vsaints shall bless you!

11  They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom

and tell of your power,

12  to ^wmake known to the children of man your^{8 x}mighty deeds,

and ^ythe glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13  ^zYour kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

[The Lord is faithful in all his words

and kind in all his works.⁹]

14  The Lord ^aupholds all who are falling

and ^braises up all who are bowed down.

15  The eyes of all ^clook to you,

and you give them their food in due season.

16  You ^dopen your hand;

you ^esatisfy the desire of every living thing.

17  The Lord is ^frighteous in all his ways

and ^gkind in all his works.

18  The Lord is ^hnear to all who call on him,

to all who call on him ⁱin truth.

19  He ^jfulfills the desire of those who fear him;

he also ^khears their cry and saves them.

20  The Lord ^lpreserves all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.

21  My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,

and ^mlet all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

1  ⁿPraise the Lord!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

2  I will praise the Lord ^oas long as I live;

^pI will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

3  ^qPut not your trust in princes,

^rin a son of man, in whom there is ^sno salvation.

4  When ^this breath departs, he returns to the earth;

on that very day his plans perish.

5  ^uBlessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose ^vhope is in the Lord his God,

6  ^wwho made heaven and earth,

the sea, and all that is in them,

^xwho keeps faith forever;

7  ^ywho executes justice for the oppressed,

^zwho gives food to the hungry.

^aThe Lord sets the prisoners free;

8  ^bthe Lord opens the eyes of the blind.

^cThe Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;

^dthe Lord loves the righteous.

9  ^eThe Lord watches over the sojourners;

^fhe upholds the widow and the fatherless,

but ^gthe way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

10  ^hThe Lord will reign forever,

your God, O Zion, to all generations.

ⁿPraise the Lord!

1  ⁱPraise the Lord!

For ^jit is good to sing praises to our God;

for ^kit is pleasant,¹⁰ and ^la song of praise is fitting.

2  The Lord ^mbuilds up Jerusalem;

he ⁿgathers the outcasts of Israel.

3  He heals ^othe brokenhearted

and ^pbinds up their wounds.

4  He ^qdetermines the number of the stars;

he ^rgives to all of them their names.

5  ^sGreat is our Lord, and ^tabundant in power;

^uhis understanding is beyond measure.

6  The Lord ^vlifts up the humble;¹¹

he casts the wicked to the ground.

7  ^wSing to the Lord with thanksgiving;

make melody to our God on ^xthe lyre!

8  He covers the heavens with clouds;

he prepares ^yrain for the earth;

he makes ^zgrass grow on the hills.

9  He ^agives to the beasts their food,

and to ^bthe young ravens that cry.

10  His delight is not in ^cthe strength of the horse,

nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,

11  but the Lord ^dtakes pleasure in those who fear him,

in those who ^ehope in his steadfast love.

12  Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!

Praise your God, O Zion!

13  For he strengthens ^fthe bars of your gates;

he blesses your children within you.

14  He ^gmakes peace in your borders;

he ^hfills you with the ⁱfinest of the wheat.

15  He ^jsends out his command to the earth;

his word runs swiftly.

16  He gives ^ksnow like wool;

he scatters ^lfrost like ashes.

17  He hurls down his crystals of ^mice like crumbs;

who can stand before his ⁿcold?

18  He ^osends out his word, and melts them;

he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.

19  He declares his word to Jacob,

his ^pstatutes and rules¹² to Israel.

20  He ^qhas not dealt thus with any other nation;

they do not know his rules.¹³

^rPraise the Lord!

1  ^rPraise the Lord!

Praise the Lord ^sfrom the heavens;

praise him ^tin the heights!

2  Praise him, all his angels;

praise him, all his ^uhosts!

3  Praise him, sun and moon,

praise him, all you shining stars!

4  Praise him, you ^vhighest heavens,

and you ^wwaters above the heavens!

5  ^xLet them praise the name of the Lord!

For ^yhe commanded and they were created.

6  And he ^zestablished them forever and ever;

he gave ^aa decree, and it shall not ^bpass away.¹⁴

7  Praise the Lord ^cfrom the earth,

you ^dgreat sea creatures and all deeps,

8  ^efire and hail, ^fsnow and mist,

^gstormy wind ^hfulfilling his word!

9  ⁱMountains and all hills,

^jfruit trees and all ^kcedars!

10  ^lBeasts and all livestock,

creeping things and ^mflying birds!

11  Kings of the earth and ⁿall peoples,

princes and all rulers of the earth!

12  Young men and maidens together,

old men and children!

13  ^oLet them praise the name of the Lord,

for ^phis name alone is exalted;

^qhis majesty is above earth and heaven.

14  He has ^rraised up a horn for his people,

^spraise for all his saints,

for the people of Israel who are ^tnear to him.

^uPraise the Lord!

1  ^uPraise the Lord!

Sing to the Lord ^va new song,

his praise in ^wthe assembly of the godly!

2  Let Israel ^xbe glad in ^yhis Maker;

let the children of Zion rejoice in their ^zKing!

3  Let them praise his name with ^adancing,

making melody to him with ^btambourine and ^clyre!

4  For the Lord ^dtakes pleasure in his people;

he ^eadorns the humble with salvation.

5  Let the godly exult in glory;

let them ^fsing for joy on their ^gbeds.

6  Let ^hthe high praises of God be in their throats

and ⁱtwo-edged swords in their hands,

7  to execute vengeance on the nations

and punishments on the peoples,

8  to bind their kings with ^jchains

and their nobles with fetters of iron,

9  to execute on them the judgment ^kwritten!

^lThis is honor for all his godly ones.

^uPraise the Lord!

1  ^uPraise the Lord!

Praise God in his ^msanctuary;

praise him in ⁿhis mighty heavens!¹⁵

2  Praise him for his ^omighty deeds;

praise him according to his excellent ^pgreatness!

3  Praise him with ^qtrumpet sound;

praise him with ^rlute and ^rharp!

4  Praise him with ^stambourine and ^sdance;

praise him with ^tstrings and ^upipe!

5  Praise him with sounding ^vcymbals;

praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

6  Let ^weverything that has breath praise the Lord!

^xPraise the Lord!

2  To know wisdom and instruction,

to understand words of insight,

3  to receive instruction in wise dealing,

in righteousness, justice, and equity;

4  to give prudence to the simple,

knowledge and discretion to the youth—

5  Let the wise hear and increase in learning,

and the one who understands obtain guidance,

6  to understand a proverb and a saying,

the words of the wise and their riddles.

7  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom and instruction.

8  Hear, my son, your father’s instruction,

and forsake not your mother’s teaching,

9  for they are a graceful garland for your head

and pendants for your neck.

10  My son, if sinners entice you,

do not consent.

11  If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood;

let us ambush the innocent without reason;

12  like Sheol let us swallow them alive,

and whole, like those who go down to the pit;

13  we shall find all precious goods,

we shall fill our houses with plunder;

14  throw in your lot among us;

we will all have one purse”—

15  my son, do not walk in the way with them;

hold back your foot from their paths,

16  for their feet run to evil,

and they make haste to shed blood.

17  For in vain is a net spread

in the sight of any bird,

18  but these men lie in wait for their own blood;

they set an ambush for their own lives.

19  Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain;

it takes away the life of its possessors.

20  Wisdom cries aloud in the street,

in the markets she raises her voice;

21  at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;

at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:

22  “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?

How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing

and fools hate knowledge?

23  If you turn at my reproof,¹⁶

behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;

I will make my words known to you.

24  Because I have called and you refused to listen,

have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,

25  because you have ignored all my counsel

and would have none of my reproof,

26  I also will laugh at your calamity;

I will mock when terror strikes you,

27  when terror strikes you like a storm

and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,

when distress and anguish come upon you.

28  Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;

they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

29  Because they hated knowledge

and did not choose the fear of the Lord,

30  would have none of my counsel

and despised all my reproof,

31  therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,

and have their fill of their own devices.

32  For the simple are killed by their turning away,

and the complacency of fools destroys them;

33  but whoever listens to me will dwell secure

and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”

1  My son, if you receive my words

and treasure up my commandments with you,

2  making your ear attentive to wisdom

and inclining your heart to understanding;

3  yes, if you call out for insight

and raise your voice for understanding,

4  if you seek it like silver

and search for it as for hidden treasures,

5  then you will understand the fear of the Lord

and find the knowledge of God.

6  For the Lord gives wisdom;

from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

7  he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

8  guarding the paths of justice

and watching over the way of his saints.

9  Then you will understand righteousness and justice

and equity, every good path;

10  for wisdom will come into your heart,

and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

11  discretion will watch over you,

understanding will guard you,

12  delivering you from the way of evil,

from men of perverted speech,

13  who forsake the paths of uprightness

to walk in the ways of darkness,

14  who rejoice in doing evil

and delight in the perverseness of evil,

15  men whose paths are crooked,

and who are devious in their ways.

16  So you will be delivered from the forbidden¹⁷ woman,

from the adulteress¹⁸ with her smooth words,

17  who forsakes the companion of her youth

and forgets the covenant of her God;

18  for her house sinks down to death,

and her paths to the departed;¹⁹

19  none who go to her come back,

nor do they regain the paths of life.

20  So you will walk in the way of the good

and keep to the paths of the righteous.

21  For the upright will inhabit the land,

and those with integrity will remain in it,

22  but the wicked will be cut off from the land,

and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.

1  My son, do not forget my teaching,

but let your heart keep my commandments,

2  for length of days and years of life

and peace they will add to you.

3  Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;

bind them around your neck;

write them on the tablet of your heart.

4  So you will find favor and good success²⁰

in the sight of God and man.

5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

6  In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.

7  Be not wise in your own eyes;

fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

8  It will be healing to your flesh²¹

and refreshment²² to your bones.

9  Honor the Lord with your wealth

and with the firstfruits of all your produce;

10  then your barns will be filled with plenty,

and your vats will be bursting with wine.

11  My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline

or be weary of his reproof,

12  for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,

as a father the son in whom he delights.

13  Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,

and the one who gets understanding,

14  for the gain from her is better than gain from silver

and her profit better than gold.

15  She is more precious than jewels,

and nothing you desire can compare with her.

16  Long life is in her right hand;

in her left hand are riches and honor.

17  Her ways are ways of pleasantness,

and all her paths are peace.

18  She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;

those who hold her fast are called blessed.

19  The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;

by understanding he established the heavens;