Psalm 1

The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked

 [1] Blessed is the man

  who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

 nor stands in the way of sinners,

  nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

 [2] but his delight is in the law of the LORD,

  and on his law he meditates day and night.

 [3] He is like a tree

  planted by streams of water

 that yields its fruit in its season,

  and its leaf does not wither.

 In all that he does, he prospers.

 [4] The wicked are not so,

  but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

 [5] Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

  nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

 [6] for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,

  but the way of the wicked will perish. (ESV)

How Majestic Is Your Name

To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David.

O Lord, our Lord,

How majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.

2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants,

You have established strength because of your foes,

to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

4 What is man that you are mindful of him,

and the son of man that you care for him?

5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings2

And crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;

you have put all things under his feet,

7 all sheep and oxen,

and also the beasts of the field,

8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,

Whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord, our Lord,

How majestic is your name in all the earth!

Lead Me in Your Righteousness

To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.

 [1] Give ear to my words, O LORD;

  consider my groaning.

 [2] Give attention to the sound of my cry,

  my King and my God, for to you do I pray.

 [3] O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;

  in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

 [4] For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;

  evil may not dwell with you.

 [5] The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;

  you hate all evildoers.

 [6] You destroy those who speak lies;

  the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

 [7] But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,

  will enter your house.

 I will bow down toward your holy temple

  in the fear of you.

 [8] Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness

  because of my enemies;

  make your way straight before me.

 [9] For there is no truth in their mouth;

  their inmost self is destruction;

 their throat is an open grave;

  they flatter with their tongue.

 [10] Make them bear their guilt, O God;

  let them fall by their own counsels;

 because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,

 for they have rebelled against you.

 [11] But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;

  let them ever sing for joy,

 and spread your protection over them,

  that those who love your name may exult in you.

 [12] For you bless the righteous, O LORD;

  you cover him with favor as with a shield. (ESV)

Blessed Are the Forgiven

A Maskil of David.

 [1] Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,

  whose sin is covered.

 [2] Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,

  and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

 [3] For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away

  through my groaning all day long.

 [4] For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;

  my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

 [5] I acknowledged my sin to you,

  and I did not cover my iniquity;

 I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”

  and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

 [6] Therefore let everyone who is godly

  offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;

 surely in the rush of great waters,

  they shall not reach him.

 [7] You are a hiding place for me;

  you preserve me from trouble;

  you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

 [8] I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

  I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

 [9] Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,

  which must be curbed with bit and bridle,

  or it will not stay near you.

 [10] Many are the sorrows of the wicked,

  but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.

 [11] Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous,

  and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! (ESV)

My Soul Thirsts for You

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

 [1] O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;

  my soul thirsts for you;

 my flesh faints for you,

  as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

 [2] So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,

  beholding your power and glory.

 [3] Because your steadfast love is better than life,

  my lips will praise you.

 [4] So I will bless you as long as I live;

  in your name I will lift up my hands.

 [5] My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,

  and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,

 [6] when I remember you upon my bed,

  and meditate on you in the watches of the night;

 [7] for you have been my help,

  and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.

 [8] My soul clings to you;

  your right hand upholds me.

 [9] But those who seek to destroy my life

  shall go down into the depths of the earth;

 [10] they shall be given over to the power of the sword;

  they shall be a portion for jackals.

 [11] But the king shall rejoice in God;

  all who swear by him shall exult,

  for the mouths of liars will be stopped. (ESV)

Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

 [1] O LORD, you have searched me and known me!

 [2] You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

  you discern my thoughts from afar.

 [3] You search out my path and my lying down

  and are acquainted with all my ways.

 [4] Even before a word is on my tongue,

  behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.

 [5] You hem me in, behind and before,

  and lay your hand upon me.

 [6] Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

  it is high; I cannot attain it.

 [7] Where shall I go from your Spirit?

  Or where shall I flee from your presence?

 [8] If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

  If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

 [9] If I take the wings of the morning

  and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

 [10] even there your hand shall lead me,

  and your right hand shall hold me.

 [11] If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,

  and the light about me be night,”

 [12] even the darkness is not dark to you;

  the night is bright as the day,

  for darkness is as light with you.

 [13] For you formed my inward parts;

  you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

 [14] I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

 Wonderful are your works;

  my soul knows it very well.

 [15] My frame was not hidden from you,

 when I was being made in secret,

  intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

 [16] Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

 in your book were written, every one of them,

  the days that were formed for me,

  when as yet there was none of them.

 [17] How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

  How vast is the sum of them!

 [18] If I would count them, they are more than the sand.

  I awake, and I am still with you.

 [19] Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!

  O men of blood, depart from me!

 [20] They speak against you with malicious intent;

  your enemies take your name in vain.

 [21] Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD?

  And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?

 [22] I hate them with complete hatred;

  I count them my enemies.

 [23] Search me, O God, and know my heart!

  Try me and know my thoughts!

 [24] And see if there be any grievous way in me,

  and lead me in the way everlasting! (ESV)

The Law of the LORD Is Perfect

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

 [1] The heavens declare the glory of God,

  and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

 [2] Day to day pours out speech,

  and night to night reveals knowledge.

 [3] There is no speech, nor are there words,

  whose voice is not heard.

 [4] Their voice goes out through all the earth,

  and their words to the end of the world.

 In them he has set a tent for the sun,

 [5] which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,

  and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.

 [6] Its rising is from the end of the heavens,

  and its circuit to the end of them,

  and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

 [7] The law of the LORD is perfect,

  reviving the soul;

 the testimony of the LORD is sure,

  making wise the simple;

 [8] the precepts of the LORD are right,

  rejoicing the heart;

 the commandment of the LORD is pure,

  enlightening the eyes;

 [9] the fear of the LORD is clean,

  enduring forever;

 the rules of the LORD are true,

  and righteous altogether.

 [10] More to be desired are they than gold,

  even much fine gold;

 sweeter also than honey

  and drippings of the honeycomb.

 [11] Moreover, by them is your servant warned;

  in keeping them there is great reward.

 [12] Who can discern his errors?

  Declare me innocent from hidden faults.

 [13] Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;

  let them not have dominion over me!

 Then I shall be blameless,

  and innocent of great transgression.

 [14] Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

  be acceptable in your sight,

  O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. (ESV)

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

A Psalm for giving thanks.

 [1] Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!

 [2] Serve the LORD with gladness!

  Come into his presence with singing!

 [3] Know that the LORD, he is God!

  It is he who made us, and we are his;

  we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

 [4] Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

  and his courts with praise!

  Give thanks to him; bless his name!

 [5] For the LORD is good;

  his steadfast love endures forever,

  and his faithfulness to all generations. (ESV)