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The God of Israel at Sinai

68 May God rise up. May those who hate Him be divided. And may they run away from Him. Drive them away like smoke in the wind. Let the sinful be destroyed before God like a candle melts by the fire. But let those who are right and good be glad. Let them be happy before God. Yes, let them be full of joy. Sing to God. Sing praises to His name. Make a road for Him Who goes through the deserts. The Lord is His name. Be full of joy before Him.

God in His holy house is a father to those who have no father. And He keeps the women safe whose husbands have died. God makes a home for those who are alone. He leads men out of prison into happiness and well-being. But those who fight against Him live in an empty desert.

O God, when You went out before Your people, when You walked through the desert, the earth shook. The heavens poured down rain before God. And Sinai shook before God, the God of Israel. You sent a heavy rain, O God. You brought life back to Your promised land when it was dry. 10 Your people made it their home. O God, You gave the poor what they needed because You are good.

11 The Lord gives the Word. And the women who tell the good news are many. 12 The kings of armies run. They run away. And she who stays at home divides the riches. 13 When you lie down among the sheep, you are like the wings of a dove covered with silver, and the end of its wings with shining gold. 14 When the All-powerful divided the kings there, snow was falling in Zalmon.

15 A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan. A mountain of many high tops is the mountain of Bashan. 16 O mountains of many high tops, why do you look with jealousy at the mountain which God has chosen for His home? For sure, the Lord will live there forever. 17 The war-wagons of God are 20,000, even thousands of thousands. The Lord is among them, as at Sinai, in the holy place. 18 You have gone up on high. You have taken those who were held with You. You have received gifts of men, even among those who fought against You. So the Lord God may live there with them.

19 Honor and thanks be to the Lord, Who carries our heavy loads day by day. He is the God Who saves us. 20 Our God is a God Who sets us free. The way out of death belongs to God the Lord. 21 But God will break the head of those who hate Him, the hair-covered head of him who goes on in his sins. 22 The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan. I will bring them back from the bottom of the sea. 23 So your feet may crush them in blood. And the tongue of your dogs may have a share of those who hate you.”

24 They have seen Your people walking together, O God. They have seen the people of my God and King walking into the holy place. 25 Those who sing are in front. Those who play music are behind. And young women who beat timbrels are between. 26 Give thanks to God in the meetings of worship. Give thanks to the Lord, you who are of the family of Israel. 27 There is young Benjamin leading them. The rulers of Judah are among the people, and the rulers of Zebulun, and the rulers of Naphtali.

28 Your God has called for your strength. Show Your strength, O God, Who has acted for us. 29 Kings will bring gifts to You because of Your holy house at Jerusalem. 30 Speak sharp words to the wild animals in the tall grass by the river, the group of bulls with the calves of the people. Walk on those who desire pieces of silver. Divide the people who have joy in war. 31 Princes will come from Egypt. Ethiopia will hurry to put her hands out to God.

32 Sing to God, O nations of the earth. Sing praises to the Lord. 33 Sing to Him Who sits upon the heavens, the heavens of old. Listen, He sends out His voice, His powerful voice. 34 Tell of the power of God. His great power is over Israel and His strength is in the sky. 35 O God, You are honored with fear as You come from Your holy place. The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to His people. Honor and thanks be to God!

A Cry for Help

69 Save me, O God, for the waters have almost taken my life. I have gone down into deep mud and there is no place to put my feet. I have come into deep waters and a flood comes over me. I have cried until I am tired. My mouth is dry. My eyes become weak while I wait for my God. Those who hate me, without a reason, are more than the hairs on my head. Those who want to destroy me are powerful. I am made to return things that I did not steal.

O God, You know how foolish I am. My sins are not hidden from You. May those who wait for You not be put to shame because of me, O Lord God of All. May those who look for You not lose respect because of me, O God of Israel. I have been put to shame because of You. Shame has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brothers, a stranger to my mother’s sons. For the strong desire for Your house has burned me up. And the bad things said about You have fallen on me. 10 When I cried and went without food, I was put to shame. 11 When I put on clothes made from hair, they made fun of me. 12 Those who sit by the gate talk about me. And I am the song of those who drink too much.

13 But as for me, my prayer is to You at the right time, O Lord. Answer me with Your saving truth in Your great loving-kindness, O God. 14 Take me out of the mud and do not let me go down in it. Take me away from those who hate me and from the deep waters. 15 Keep the flood water from covering me. Do not let the sea swallow me up. Do not let the deep hole close its mouth over me.

16 Answer me, O Lord, for Your loving-kindness is good. Turn to me because of Your great loving-pity. 17 Do not hide Your face from Your servant, for I am in trouble. Hurry to answer me. 18 Come near to me and save me. Pay the price to set me free from those who hate me. 19 You know how I have been put to shame by the bad things said about me. All those who hate me are before You.

20 Being put to shame has broken my heart, and I feel very sick. I looked for pity but there was none. I looked for someone to comfort me but there was no one. 21 They gave me bitter drink in my food. And because I was thirsty they gave me sour wine.

22 May their table in front of them become a net. May it become a trap when they are in peace. 23 May their eyes grow dark so they cannot see. And may their backs always shake. 24 Pour out Your anger on them. May Your burning anger catch up with them. 25 May their place of living be empty and may no one live in their tents. 26 For they have made it hard for the one You have punished. And they talk about the pain of those You have hurt. 27 Let their sins add up, and may they not become right with You. 28 May they be taken out of the book of life, and not be written down with those who are right with You.

29 But I am suffering and in pain. O God, may You save me and set me up on high. 30 I will praise the name of God with song. And I will give Him great honor with much thanks. 31 This will please the Lord more than any ox or young bull with horns and hoofs. 32 Those without pride will see it and be glad. You who look for God, let your heart receive new strength. 33 For the Lord hears those who are in need, and does not hate His people in prison.

34 Let heaven and earth and the seas and all the things that move in them give thanks to Him. 35 For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah. Then His people may live there and have it for their own. 36 And the children of those who obey Him will have it given to them. Those who love His name will live there.

Prayer for Help

70 O God, hurry to take me out of trouble. O Lord, hurry to help me! Let those who want to kill me be ashamed and brought low. Let those who want to hurt me be turned away in shame. Let those who say, “O, O!” be turned back because of their shame.

Let all who look for You be full of joy and be glad in You. And let those who love Your saving power always say, “Let God be honored.” But I am poor and in need. Hurry to me, O God! You are my help and the One Who takes me out of trouble. O Lord, do not wait.

A Prayer of an Old Man

71 I have a safe place in you, O Lord. Let me never be ashamed. Because You are right and good, take me out of trouble. Turn Your ear to me and save me. Be a rock to me where I live, where I may always come and where I will be safe. For You are my rock and my safe place. O my God, take me from the hand of the sinful, from the hand of the wrong-doer and the man without pity. For You are my hope, O Lord God. You are my trust since I was young. You have kept me safe from birth. It was You Who watched over me from the day I was born. My praise is always of You.

I have become a wonder and surprise to many. For You are my strong safe place. My mouth is filled with Your praise and with Your honor all day long. Do not let me fall by the way when I am old. Do not leave me alone when my strength is gone. 10 For those who hate me talk against me. Those who want to kill make plans together. 11 They say, “God has turned away from him. Run and catch him, for there is no one to take him out of trouble.”

12 O God, do not be far from me! O my God, hurry to help me! 13 Let those who are against me be ashamed and destroyed. Let those who want to hurt me be without honor and covered with shame. 14 But as for me, I will always have hope and I will praise You more and more. 15 My mouth will tell about how right and good You are and about Your saving acts all day long. For there are more than I can know. 16 I will come in the strength of the Lord God. I will tell about how right and good You are, and You alone.

17 O God, You have taught me from when I was young. And I still tell about Your great works. 18 Even when I am old and my hair is turning white, O God, do not leave me alone. Let me tell about Your strength to all the people living now, and about Your power to all who are to come. 19 O God, You are right and good, as the heavens are high. You have done great things, O God. Who is like You? 20 You have shown me many troubles of all kinds. But You will make me strong again. And You will bring me up again from deep in the earth. 21 Add to my greatness, and turn to comfort me.

22 O my God, I will praise You with a harp. I will praise Your truth. I will sing praises to You with different kinds of harps, O Holy One of Israel. 23 My lips will call out for joy when I sing praises to You. You have set my soul free. 24 My tongue will tell about how right and good You are all day long. For those who want to hurt me are ashamed and troubled.

A Prayer for the King

72 O God, make the king right in what he decides. Make the king’s son right with You. May he be right when he decides who is right and who is wrong and may he be fair to the poor. Let mountains and hills bring peace to the people through what is right and good. May he stand by those who are poor, save the children of those in need, and destroy the bad power over them.

May all the children-to-come fear You as long as the sun and the moon last. May He come down like rain upon the cut grass, like rain that waters the earth. In His days may all go well with those who are right and good. And may there be much peace until the moon is no more.

May he also rule from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. Those who live in the desert will put their faces to the ground before Him. And those who hate Him will kiss the dust. 10 Let the kings of Tarshish and of the islands bring gifts. Let the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts. 11 Yes, let all kings fall down at His feet, and all nations serve Him.

12 For He will take out of trouble the one in need when he cries for help, and the poor man who has no one to help. 13 He will have loving-pity on the weak and those in need. He will save the lives of those in need. 14 He will take them from the bad power that is held over them and from being hurt. Their blood will be of much worth in His eyes. 15 He will live, and the gold of Sheba will be given to Him. Prayer will be given for Him all the time. Let them honor Him all day long.

16 May there be much grain in the land on top of the mountains. May its fruit grow like the trees of Lebanon. And may those of the city grow like the grass of the earth. 17 May His name last forever. May His name become bigger as long as the sun shines. And let men respect themselves through Him. Let all nations honor Him.

18 Honor and thanks be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who alone does great things. 19 And honor be to His great name forever. May the whole earth be filled with His shining-greatness. Let it be so.

20 The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.