Psalm 40-41

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Psalm 40

Thanksgiving and a Cry for Help

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.

¹I waited patiently for the Lord,
and He turned to me and heard my cry for help.^(A)
²He brought me up from a desolate^[a] pit,
out of the muddy clay,^(B)
and set my feet on a rock,
making my steps secure.^(C)
³He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.^(D)
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the Lord.^(E)

⁴How happy is the man
who has put his trust in the Lord
and has not turned to the proud
or to those who run after lies!^(F)
⁵Lord my God, You have done many things—
Your wonderful works and Your plans for us;
none can compare with You.
If I were to report and speak of them,
they are more than can be told.^(G)

⁶You do not delight in sacrifice and offering;
You open my ears to listen.^[b]
You do not ask for a whole burnt offering or a sin offering.^(H)
⁷Then I said, “See, I have come;
it is written about me in the volume of the scroll.^(I)
⁸I delight to do Your will, my God;^(J)
Your instruction lives within me.”^[c]^(K)

⁹I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
see, I do not keep my mouth closed^[d]—
as You know, Lord.^(L)
¹⁰I did not hide Your righteousness in my heart;
I spoke about Your faithfulness and salvation;
I did not conceal Your constant love and truth
from the great assembly.^(M)

¹¹Lord, do not withhold Your compassion from me;
Your constant love and truth will always guard me.^(N)
¹²For troubles without number have surrounded me;
my sins have overtaken me; I am unable to see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my courage leaves me.^(O)
¹³Lord, be pleased to deliver me;
hurry to help me, Lord.^(P)

¹⁴Let those who seek to take my life
be disgraced and confounded.
Let those who wish me harm
be driven back and humiliated.^(Q)
¹⁵Let those who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
be horrified because of their shame.^(R)

¹⁶Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
let those who love Your salvation continually say,
“The Lord is great!”^(S)
¹⁷I am afflicted and needy;
the Lord thinks of me.
You are my helper and my deliverer;
my God, do not delay.^(T)

Psalm 41

Victory in Spite of Betrayal

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.

¹Happy is one who cares for the poor;
the Lord will save him in a day of adversity.^(U)
²The Lord will keep him and preserve him;
he will be blessed in the land.^(V)
You will not give him over to the desire of his enemies.^(W)
³The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed;
You will heal him on the bed where he lies.^(X)

⁴I said, “Lord, be gracious to me;
heal me, for I have sinned against You.”^(Y)
⁵My enemies speak maliciously about me:
“When will he die and be forgotten?”^(Z)
⁶When one of them comes to visit, he speaks deceitfully;
he stores up evil in his heart;
he goes out and talks.^(AA)
⁷All who hate me whisper together about me;
they plan to harm me.^(AB)
⁸“Lethal poison has been poured into him,
and he won’t rise again from where he lies!”^(AC)
⁹Even my friend^[e] in whom I trusted,
one who ate my bread,
has raised his heel against me.^(AD)

¹⁰But You, Lord, be gracious to me and raise me up;
then I will repay them.^(AE)
¹¹By this I know that You delight in me:^(AF)
my enemy does not shout in triumph over me.^(AG)
¹²You supported me because of my integrity^(AH)
and set me in Your presence forever.^(AI)