Prayer for Help.

43 (A)Vindicate me, God, and (B)plead my case against an ungodly nation;
[a]Save me from (C)the deceitful and unjust person!
For You are the (D)God of my strength; why have You (E)rejected me?
Why do I go about (F)mourning [b]because of the oppression of the enemy?

Send out Your (G)light and Your truth, they shall lead me;
They shall bring me to Your (H)holy hill
And to Your (I)dwelling places.
Then I will go to (J)the altar of God,
To God [c]my exceeding (K)joy;
And I will praise You on the (L)lyre, God, my God.

(M)Why are you [d]in despair, my soul?
And why are you restless within me?
Wait for God, for I will [e]again praise [f]Him
For the [g]help of His presence, my God.

Former Times of Help and Present Troubles.

For the music director. A [h]Maskil of the sons of Korah.

44 God, we have heard with our ears,
Our (N)fathers have told us
The (O)work that You did in their days,
In the (P)days of old.
You with Your own hand (Q)drove out the nations;
Then You (R)planted them;
You (S)afflicted the peoples,
Then You (T)let them go free.
For by their own sword they (U)did not possess the land,
And their own arm did not save them,
But Your right hand and Your (V)arm and the (W)light of Your presence,
For You (X)favored them.

You are (Y)my King, God;
(Z)Command [i]victories for Jacob.
Through You we will (AA)push back our adversaries;
Through Your name we will (AB)trample down those who rise up against us.
For I will (AC)not trust in my bow,
Nor will my sword save me.
But You (AD)have saved us from our adversaries,
And You have (AE)put to shame those who hate us.
In God we have (AF)boasted all day long,
And we will (AG)give thanks to Your name forever. Selah

Yet You (AH)have rejected us and brought us to (AI)dishonor,
And (AJ)do not go out with our armies.
10 You cause us to (AK)turn back from the enemy;
And those who hate us (AL)have taken spoils for themselves.
11 You turn us over [j]to be eaten like (AM)sheep,
And have (AN)scattered us among the nations.
12 You (AO)sell Your people [k]cheaply,
And have not [l]profited by their sale.
13 You make us an object of (AP)reproach to our neighbors,
Of scoffing and (AQ)ridicule to those around us.
14 You make us (AR)a proverb among the nations,
A [m](AS)laughingstock among the peoples.
15 All day long my dishonor is before me
And [n]I am covered with my (AT)humiliation,
16 Because of the voice of one who (AU)taunts and reviles,
Because of the presence of the (AV)enemy and the avenger.

17 All this has come upon us, but we have (AW)not forgotten You,
And we have not (AX)dealt falsely with Your covenant.
18 Our heart has not (AY)turned back,
And our steps (AZ)have not deviated from Your way,
19 Yet You have (BA)crushed us in a place of (BB)jackals
And covered us with [o](BC)deep darkness.

20 If we had (BD)forgotten the name of our God
Or extended our [p]hands to (BE)a strange god,
21 Would God not (BF)find this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
22 But (BG)for Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are regarded as (BH)sheep to be slaughtered.
23 (BI)Wake Yourself up, why (BJ)do You sleep, Lord?
Awake, (BK)do not reject us forever.
24 Why do You (BL)hide Your face
And (BM)forget our affliction and oppression?
25 For our (BN)souls have sunk down into the dust;
Our bodies cling to the earth.
26 (BO)Rise up, be our help,
And (BP)redeem us because of Your mercy.

A Song Celebrating the King’s Marriage.

For the music director; according to the [q]Shoshannim. A [r]Maskil of the sons of Korah. A Song of Love.

45 My heart is moved with a good theme;
I [s]address my [t]verses to the [u]King;
My tongue is the pen of (BQ)a ready writer.
You are the most handsome of the sons of mankind;
(BR)Grace is poured [v]upon Your lips;
Therefore God has (BS)blessed You forever.

Strap (BT)Your sword on Your thigh, [w](BU)Mighty One,
In Your splendor and majesty!
And in Your majesty ride on victoriously,
For the cause of truth, (BV)humility, and righteousness;
Let Your (BW)right hand teach You [x]awesome things.
Your (BX)arrows are sharp;
The (BY)peoples fall under You;
Your arrows are (BZ)in the heart of the King’s enemies.

(CA)Your throne, God, is forever and ever;
(CB)The scepter of Your kingdom is a scepter of justice.
You have (CC)loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
Therefore God, Your God, has (CD)anointed You
With the oil of joy above Your companions.
All Your garments are fragrant with (CE)myrrh, aloes, and cassia;
From ivory palaces (CF)stringed instruments have made You joyful.
Kings’ daughters are among (CG)Your noble women;
At Your (CH)right hand stands the queen in (CI)gold from Ophir.

10 Listen, daughter, look and incline your ear:
(CJ)Forget your people and your father’s house;
11 Then the King will crave your beauty.
Because He is your (CK)Lord, (CL)bow down to Him.
12 The daughter of (CM)Tyre will come with a gift;
The (CN)wealthy among the people will seek your favor.

13 The King’s daughter is all glorious within;
Her clothing is (CO)interwoven with gold.
14 She will be (CP)brought to the King (CQ)in colorful garments;
The (CR)virgins, her companions who follow her,
Will be brought to You.
15 They will be brought with joy and rejoicing;
They will enter into the King’s palace.

16 In place of your fathers will be your sons;
You shall make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will make (CS)Your name known among all generations;
Therefore the peoples (CT)will praise You forever and ever.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 43:1 Or May You
  2. Psalm 43:2 Or while the enemy oppresses
  3. Psalm 43:4 Lit the gladness of my joy
  4. Psalm 43:5 Or dissolved away
  5. Psalm 43:5 Or still
  6. Psalm 43:5 As in some ancient mss; MT Him, the help of my face and my God
  7. Psalm 43:5 Or saving acts of
  8. Psalm 44 Title Possibly Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
  9. Psalm 44:4 Lit salvation
  10. Psalm 44:11 Lit for food
  11. Psalm 44:12 Lit for no wealth
  12. Psalm 44:12 Or set a high price on them
  13. Psalm 44:14 Lit shaking of the head
  14. Psalm 44:15 Lit the shame of my face has covered me
  15. Psalm 44:19 Or the shadow of death
  16. Psalm 44:20 Lit palms
  17. Psalm 45 Title Or possibly Lilies
  18. Psalm 45 Title Possibly Contemplative; or Didactic; or Wisdom Psalm
  19. Psalm 45:1 Lit am saying
  20. Psalm 45:1 Lit works
  21. Psalm 45:1 Prob. refers to a Davidic king as a type of Christ
  22. Psalm 45:2 Or through
  23. Psalm 45:3 Or Warrior
  24. Psalm 45:4 Or fearful

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