Thursday, January 31, 2013

Psalm 11

In the Lord I take refuge;
How can you say to my soul, "Flee as a bird to your mountain;
For behold, the wicked should bend the bow,
They make ready their arrow upon the string,
To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?"

The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked, 
And the one who loves violence His soul hates.
Upon the wicked He will rain snares;
Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup.
For the Lord is righteous; He loves righteousness;
The upright will behold His face.

~Psalm 11 (NASB 1977)

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Psalm 10

Why dost Thou stand afar off, O Lord?
Why dost Thou hide Thyself in times of trouble?
In pride the wicked hotly pursue the afflicted;
Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.

For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire,
And the greedy man curses and spurns the Lord.
The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him.
All his thoughts are, “There is no God.”

His ways prosper at all times;
Thy judgments are on high, out of his sight;
As for all his adversaries, he snorts at them.
He says to him, “I shall not be moved;
Throughout all generations I shall not be in adversity.”
His mouth is full of curses and deceit and oppression;
Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness.
He sits in the lurking places of the villages;
In the hiding places he kills the innocents;
His eyes stealthily watch for the unfortunate.
He lurks in a hiding place as a lion in his lair;
He lurks to catch the afflicted;
He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net.
He crouches, he bows down,
And the unfortunate fall by his mighty ones.
He says to himself, “God has forgotten;
He has hidden His face; He will never see it.”

Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up Thy hand.
Do not forget the afflicted.
Why has the wicked spurned God?
He has said to himself, “Thou will not require it.”
Thou has seen it, for Thou has beheld mischief and vexation to take it into Thy hand.
The unfortunate commits himself to Thee;
Thou hast been the helper of the orphan.
Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer,
Seek out his wickedness until Thou dost find none.

The Lord is King forever and ever;
Nations have perished from His land.
O Lord, Thou hast heard the desire of the humble;
Thou wilt strengthen their heart, Thou wilt incline Thine ear
To vindicate the orphan and the oppressed,
That man who is of the earth may cause terror no more.

~Psalm 10 (NASB 1977)

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Psalm 9

I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart;
I will tell of all Thy wonders.
I will be glad and exult in Thee;
I will sing praise to Thy name, O Most High.

When my enemies turn back,
They stumble and perish before Thee.
For Thou hast maintained my just cause;
Thou dost sit on the throne judging righteously.
Thou hast rebuked the nations; Thou hast destroyed the wicked;
Thou hast blotted the cities;
The very memory of them has perished.

But the Lord abides forever;
He has established His throne for judgment,
And He will judge the world in righteousness;
He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity.
The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed,
A stronghold in times of trouble,
And those who know Thy name will put their trust in Thee;
For Thou, O Lord, has not forsaken those who seek Thee.

Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion;
Declare among the peoples His deeds.
For He who requires blood remembers them;
He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
Be gracious to me, O Lord;
Behold my affliction from those who hate me,
Thou who dost lift me up from the gates of death;
That I may tell of all Thy praises,
That in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in Thy salvation.
The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made;
In the net which they hid, their own foot has been caught.
The Lord has made Himself known;
He has executed judgment.
In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared.

The wicked will return to Sheol,
Even all the nations who forget God.
For the needy will not always be forgotten,
Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail;
Put them in fear, O Lord;
Let the nations know that they are but men.

~Psalm 9

Monday, January 28, 2013

Psalm 8

O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Thy name in all the earth,
Who hast displayed Thy splendor above the heavens!
From the mouth of infants and nursing babes Thou hast established strength,
Because of Thine adversaries,
To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.

When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers,
The moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained;
What is man, that Thou doest take thought of him?
And the son of man, that Thou dost care for him?
Yet Thou hast made him a little lower than God,
And dost crown him with glory and majesty!

Thou dost make him to rule over the works of Thy hands;
Thou hast put all things under his feet,
All sheep and oxen,
And also the beasts of the field,
The birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Thy name in all the earth!

~Psalm 8 (NASB 1977)

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Psalm 7

O Lord my God, in Thee I have take refuge;
Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me,
Lest he tear my soul like a lion,
Dragging me away, while there is none to deliver.

O Lord my God, if I have done this,
If there is injustice in my hands,
If I have rewarded evil to my friend,
Or have plundered him to who without cause was my adversary,
Let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it;
And let him trample my life down to the ground,
And lay my glory in the dust.

Arise, O Lord, in Thine anger; 
Lift up Thyself against the rage of my adversaries,
And arouse Thyself for me; Thou hast appointed judgment.
And let the assembly of the peoples encompass Thee
And over them return Thou on high.
The Lord judges the peoples;
Vindicate me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.
O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous;
For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.
My shield is with God,
Who saves the upright in heart. 
God is a righteous judge,
And a God who has indignation every day.

If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword;
He had bent His bow and made it ready.
He had also prepared for Himself deadly weapons;
He makes His arrows fiery shafts.
Behold, he travails with wickedness,
And he conceived mischief, and brings forth falsehood.
He has dug a pit and hollowed it out,
And has fallen into the hole which he made.
His mischief will return upon his own head,
And his violence will descend upon his own pate. 

I will give thanks to the Lord according to His righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

~Psalm 7 (NASB 1977)

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Psalm 6

O LORD, do not rebuke me in Thine anger,
Nor chasten me in Thy wrath.
Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am pining away;
Heal me, O LORD, for my bones are dismayed.
And my soul is greatly dismayed;
But Thou, O LORD--how long?

Return, O LORD, rescue my soul;
Save me because of Thy lovingkindness.
For there is no mention of Thee in death;
In Sheol who will give Thee thanks?

I am weary with my sighing;
Every night I make my bed swim,
I dissolve my couch with my tears.
My eye has wasted away with grief;
It has become old because of all my adversaries.

Depart from me, all you who do iniquity,
For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping.
The LORD has heard my supplication,
The LORD receives my prayer.
All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed;
They shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed.

~Psalm 6 (NASB 1977)

Friday, January 25, 2013

Psalm 5

Give ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my groaning.
Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God,
For to Thee do I pray.
In the morning, O Lord, Thou wilt hear my voice;
In the morning I will order my prayer to Thee and eagerly watch.

For Thou art not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;
No evil dwells with Thee.
The boastful shall not stand before Thine eyes;
Thou dost destroy those who speak falsehood;
The Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.
But as for me, by Thine abundant lovingkindness I will enter Thy house,
At Thy holy temple I will bow in reverence for Thee.

O Lord, lead me in Thy righteousness because of my foes;
Make Thy way straight before me.
There is nothing reliable in what they say;
Their inward part is destruction itself;
Their throat is an open grave;
They flatter with their tongue.
Hold them guilty, O God;
By their own devices let them fall!
In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out,
For they are rebellious against Thee.

But let all who take refuge in Thee be glad,
Let them ever sing for joy;
And mayest Thou shelter them,
That those who love Thy name may exult in Thee.
For it is Thou who dost bless the righteous man, O Lord,
Thou dost surround him with favor as with a shield.

~Psalm 5 (NASB 1977)

Psalm 4

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
Thou hast relieved me in my distress;
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach?
How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception?
But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself;
The Lord hears when I call to Him.

Tremble, and do not sin;
Meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still.
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And trust in the Lord.

Many are saying, “Who will show us any good?”
Lift up the light of Thy countenance upon us, O Lord!
Thou hast put gladness in my heart,
More than when their grain and new wine abound.
In peace I will both lie down and sleep,
For Thou alone, O Lord, dost make me dwell in safety.

~Psalm 4 (NASB 1977)

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Psalm 3

O Lord, how my adversaries have increased!
Many are rising up against me.
Many are saying of my soul,
“There is no deliverance for him in God.”

But Thou, O Lord, are a shield about me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head.
I was crying to the Lord with my voice,
And He answered me from His holy mountain.
I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustains me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousand people
Who have set themselves against round about.

Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God!
For Thou hast smitten all my enemies on the cheek;
Thou hast shattered the teeth of the wicked.
Salvation belongs to the Lord;
Thy blessing be upon Thy people!

~Psalm 3 (NASB 1977)

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Psalm 2

Why are the nations in an uproar,
And the peoples devising a vain thing?
The kings of the earth take their stand,
And the rulers take counsel together
Against the Lord and against His Anointed;
"Let us tear their fetters apart,
And cast away their cords from us!"

He who sits in the heavens laughs,
The Lord scoffs at them.
Then He will speak to them in His anger
And terrify them in His fury:
"But as for Me, I have installed My King
Upon Zion, My holy mountain."

I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to Me, 'Thou art My Son,
Today I have begotten Thee.
'Ask of Me, and I will surly give the nations as Thine inheritance,
And the very ends of the earth as Thy possession.
'Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron,
Thou shalt shatter them like earthenware.'"

Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;
Take warning, O judges of the earth.
Worship the Lord with reverence,
And rejoice with trembling.
Do homage to the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way,
For His wrath may soon be kindled.
How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!

~Psalm 2 (NASB 1977)

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Psalm 1

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.
~Psalm 1 (NASB 1977)