Revised Version 1885 (RV1885)

1 Why standest thou afar off, OLord? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?

2 In the pride of the wicked the poor is hotly pursued; let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.

3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and the covetous renounceth,yea, contemneth theLord.

4 The wicked, in the pride of his countenance,saith, He will not requireit. All his thoughts are, There is no God.

5 His ways are firm at all times; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his adversaries, he puffeth at them.

6 He saith in his heart, I shall not be moved: to all generations I shall not be in adversity.

7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression: under his tongue is mischief and iniquity.

8 He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the covert places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the helpless.

9 He lurketh in the covert as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him in his net.

10 He croucheth, he boweth down, and the helpless fall by his strong ones.

11 He saith in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.

12 Arise, OLord; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the poor.

13 Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God, and say in his heart, Thou wilt not requireit?

14 Thon hast seenit; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to take it into thy hand: the helpless committethhimselfunto thee; thou hast been the helper of the fatherless.

15 Break thou the arm of the wicked; and as for the evil man, seek out his wickedness till thou find none.

16 TheLordis King for ever and ever: the nations are perished out of his land.

17 Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the meek: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:

18 To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that man which is of the earth may be terrible no more.

For the Chief Musician.

A Psalm

of David.

1 In theLordput I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?

2 For, lo, the wicked bend the bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.

3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

4 TheLordis in his holy temple, theLord, his throne is in heaven; his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.

5 TheLordtrieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.

6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares; fire and brimstone and burning wind shall be the portion of their cup.

7 For theLordis righteous; he loveth righteousness: the upright shall behold his face.

For the Chief Musician; set to the Sheminith. A Psalm of David.

1 Help,Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.

2 They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lip, and with a double heart, do they speak.

3 TheLordshall cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that speaketh great things:

4 Who have said, with our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?

5 For the spoiling of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith theLord; I will set him in safety at whom they puff.

6 The words of theLordare pure words; as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, purified seven times.

7 Thou shalt keep them, OLord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

8 The wicked walk on every side, when vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 How long, OLord, wilt thou forget me for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart all the day? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?

3 Considerandanswer me, OLordmy God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep thesleep ofdeath;

4 Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him;lestmine adversaries rejoice when I am moved.

5 But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation:

6 I will sing unto theLord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.

For the Chief Musician.

A Psalm

of David.

1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works; there is none that doeth good.

2 TheLordlooked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek after God.

3 They are all gone aside; they are together become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon theLord.

5 There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.

6 Ye put to shame the counsel of the poor, because theLordis his refuge.

7 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when theLordbringeth back the captivity of his people, then shall Jacob rejoice,andIsrael shall be glad.

A Psalm of David.

1 Lord, who shall sojourn in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?

2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh truth in his heart.

3 He that slandereth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his friend, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.

4 In whose eyes a reprobate is despised; but he honoureth them that fear theLord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.

5 He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.

Michtam of David.

1 Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.

2 I have said unto theLord, Thou art my Lord: I have no good beyond thee.

3 As for the saints that are in the earth, they are the excellent in whom is all my delight.

4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that exchangetheLordfor anothergod: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take their names upon my lips.

5 TheLordis the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.

6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.

7 I will bless theLord, who hath given me counsel: yea, my reins instruct me in the night seasons.

8 I have set theLordalways before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall dwell in safety.

10 For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol; neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption.

11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; in thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

A Prayer of David.

1 Hear the right, OLord, attend unto my cry; give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.

2 Let my sentence come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes look upon equity.

3 Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and findest nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.

4 As for the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the ways of the violent.

5 My steps have held fast to thy paths, my feet have not slipped.

6 I have called upon thee, for thou wilt answer me, O God: incline thine ear unto me,andhear my speech.

7 Shew thy marvelous lovingkindness, O thou that savest them which put their trustin theefrom those that rise upagainst them, by thy right hand.

8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

9 From the wicked that spoil me, my deadly enemies, that compass me about.

10 They are enclosed in their own fat: with their mouth they speak proudly.

11 They have now compassed us in our steps: they set their eyes to castusdown to the earth.

12 He is like a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.

13 Arise, OLord, confront him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked by thy sword;

14 From men, by thy hand, OLord, from men of the world, whose portion is inthislife, and whose belly thou fillest with thy treasure: they are satisfied with children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.

15 As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

For the Chief Musician.

A Psalm

of David the servant of the Lord, who spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: and he said,

1 I love thee, OLord, my strength.

2 TheLordis my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strong rock, in him will I trust; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.

3 I will call upon theLord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

4 The cords of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

5 The cords of Sheol were round about me: the snares of death came on me.

6 In my distress I called upon theLord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry before him came into his ears.

7 Then the earth shook and trembled, me foundations also of the mountains moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.

8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet.

10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly, yea, he flew swiftly upon the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion round about him; darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

12 At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.

13 TheLordalso thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice; hailstones and coals of fire.

14 And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; yea, lightnings manifold, and discomfited them.

15 Then the channels of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were laid bare, at thy rebuke, OLord, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

16 He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.

17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me, for they were too mighty for me.

18 They came upon me in the day of my calamity: but theLordwas my stay.

19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

20 TheLordrewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

21 For I have kept the ways of theLord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22 For all his judgments were before me, and I put not away his statutes from me.

23 I was also perfect with him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.

24 Therefore hath theLordrecompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

25 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with the perfect man thou wilt shew thyself perfect;

26 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the perverse thou wilt shew thyself froward.

27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but the haughty eyes thou wilt bring down.

28 For thou wilt light my lamp: theLordmy God will lighten my darkness.

29 For by thee I run upon a troop; and by my God do I leap over a wall.

30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of theLordis tried; he is a shield unto all them that trust in him.

31 For who is God, save theLord? and who is a rock, beside our God?

32 The God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.

33 He maketh my feet like hinds’feet: and setteth me upon my high places,

34 He teacheth my hands to war; so that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.

35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.

36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped.

37 I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them: neither will I turn again till they are consumed.

38 I will smite them through that they shall not be able to rise: they shall fall under my feet.

39 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.

40 Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me, that I might cut off them that hate me.

41 They cried, but there was none to save: even unto theLord, but he answered them not.

42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the mire of the streets.

43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; thou hast made me the head of the nations: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.

44 As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.

45 The strangers shall fade away, and shall come trembling out of their close places.

46 TheLordliveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of my salvation:

47 Even the God that executeth vengeance for me, and subdueth peoples under me.

48 He rescueth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me: thou deliverest me from the violent man.

49 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, OLord, among the nations, and will sing praises unto thy name.

50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth lovingkindness to his anointed, to David and to his seed, for evermore.

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

3 There is no speech nor language; their voice cannot be heard.

4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run his course.

6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

7 The law of theLordis perfect, restoring the soul: the testimony of theLordis sure, making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of theLordare right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of theLordis pure, enlightening the eyes.

9 The fear of theLordis clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of theLordare true,andrighteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: in keeping of them there is great reward.

12 Who can discernhiserrors? clear thou me from hiddenfaults.

13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuoussins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be perfect, and I shall be clear from great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, OLord, my rock, and my redeemer.