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(A psalm by David for the music leader.)

A Prayer for Victory

I pray that the Lord
will listen when you
    are in trouble,
and that the God of Jacob
    will keep you safe.
May the Lord send help
    from his temple
and come to your rescue
    from Mount Zion.
May he remember your gifts
and be pleased
    with what you bring.

May God do what you want most
    and let all go well for you.
Then you will win victories,
    and we will celebrate,
while raising our banners
    in the name of our God.
May the Lord answer
    all your prayers!

I am certain, Lord,
that you will help
    your chosen king.
You will answer my prayers
from your holy place
    in heaven,
and you will save me
    with your mighty arm.

Some people trust the power
of chariots or horses,
    but we trust you, Lord God.
Others will stumble and fall,
but we will be strong
    and stand firm.

Give the king victory, Lord,
    and answer our prayers.[a]

(A psalm by David for the music leader.)

Thanking the Lord for Victory

Our Lord, your mighty power
    makes the king glad,
and he celebrates victories
    that you have given him.
You did what he wanted most
    and never told him “No.”
You truly blessed the king,
and you placed on him
    a crown of finest gold.
He asked to live a long time,
and you promised him life
    that never ends.

The king is highly honored.
You have let him win victories
    that have made him famous.
You have given him blessings
    that will last forever,
and you have made him glad
    by being so near to him.
Lord Most High,
    the king trusts you,
and your kindness
    keeps him from defeat.

With your mighty arm, Lord,
you will strike down all
    of your hateful enemies.
They will be destroyed by fire
    once you are here,
and because of your anger,
    flames will swallow them.
10 You will wipe their families
from the earth,
    and they will disappear.
11 All their plans to harm you
    will come to nothing.
12 You will make them run away
by shooting your arrows
    at their faces.

13 Show your strength, Lord,
so that we may sing
    and praise your power.

(A psalm by David for the music leader. To the tune “A Deer at Dawn.”)

Suffering and Praise

(A) My God, my God, why have you
    deserted me?
Why are you so far away?
Won't you listen to my groans
    and come to my rescue?
I cry out day and night,
but you don't answer,
    and I can never rest.

Yet you are the holy God,
ruling from your throne
    and praised by Israel.
(B) Our ancestors trusted you,
    and you rescued them.
When they cried out for help,
    you saved them,
and you did not let them down
    when they depended on you.

But I am merely a worm,
    far less than human,
and I am hated and rejected
    by people everywhere.
(C) Everyone who sees me
    makes fun and sneers.
They shake their heads,
    (D) and say, “Trust the Lord!
If you are his favorite,
let him protect you
    and keep you safe.”

You, Lord, brought me
    safely through birth,
and you protected me
when I was a baby
    at my mother's breast.
10 From the day I was born,
    I have been in your care,
and from the time of my birth,
    you have been my God.

11 Don't stay far off
when I am in trouble
    with no one to help me.
12 Enemies are all around
    like a herd of wild bulls.
Powerful bulls from Bashan[b]
    are everywhere.
13 My enemies are like lions
roaring and attacking
    with jaws open wide.

14 I have no more strength
    than a few drops of water.
All my bones are out of joint;
    my heart is like melted wax.
15 My strength has dried up
    like a broken clay pot,
and my tongue sticks
    to the roof of my mouth.
You, God, have left me
    to die in the dirt.

16 Brutal enemies attack me
    like a pack of dogs,
tearing at[c] my hands
    and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones,
and my enemies just stare
    and sneer at me.
18 (E) They took my clothes
    and gambled for them.

19 Don't stay far away, Lord!
My strength comes from you,
    so hurry and help.
20 Rescue me from enemy swords
and save me from those dogs.
21     Don't let lions eat me.

You rescued me from the horns
    of wild bulls,
22 (F) and when your people meet,
    I will praise you, Lord.

23 All who worship the Lord,
    now praise him!
You belong to Jacob's family
and to the people of Israel,
    so fear and honor the Lord!
24 The Lord doesn't hate
or despise the helpless
    in all of their troubles.
When I cried out, he listened
    and did not turn away.

25 When your people meet,
you will fill my heart
    with your praises, Lord,
and everyone will see me
    keep my promises to you.
26 The poor will eat and be full,
and all who worship you
    will be thankful
    and live in hope.

27 Everyone on this earth
    will remember you, Lord.
People all over the world
    will turn and worship you,
28 because you are in control,
    the ruler of all nations.

29 All who are rich
and have more than enough
    will bow down to you, Lord.
Even those who are dying
and almost in the grave
    will come and bow down.
30 In the future, everyone
will worship and learn
    about you, our Lord.
31 People not yet born
will be told,
    “The Lord has saved us!”

Footnotes

  1. 20.9 victory … prayers: Or “victory. He (God or the king) answers us.”
  2. 22.12 Bashan: A land east of the Jordan River, where there were pastures suitable for raising fine cattle.
  3. 22.16 tearing at: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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