Psalms 1-8

Psalm 1

¹Happy is the man who does not go in the company of sinners, or take his place in the way of evil-doers, or in the seat of those who do not give honour to the Lord.

²But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and whose mind is on his law day and night.

³He will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, which gives its fruit at the right time, whose leaves will ever be green; and he will do well in all his undertakings.

⁴The evil-doers are not so; but are like the dust from the grain, which the wind takes away.

⁵For this cause there will be no mercy for sinners when they are judged, and the evil-doers will have no place among the upright,

⁶Because the Lord sees the way of the upright, but the end of the sinner is destruction.

Psalm 2

¹Why are the nations so violently moved, and why are the thoughts of the people so foolish?

²The kings of the earth have taken their place, and the rulers are fixed in their purpose, against the Lord, and against the king of his selection, saying,

³Let their chains be broken, and their cords taken from off us.

⁴Then he whose seat is in the heavens will be laughing: the Lord will make sport of them.

⁵Then will his angry words come to their ears, and by his wrath they will be troubled:

⁶But I have put my king on my holy hill of Zion.

⁷I will make clear the Lord's decision: he has said to me, You are my son, this day have I given you being.

⁸Make your request to me, and I will give you the nations for your heritage, and the farthest limits of the earth will be under your hand.

⁹They will be ruled by you with a rod of iron; they will be broken like a potter's vessel.

¹⁰So now be wise, you kings: take his teaching, you judges of the earth.

¹¹Give worship to the Lord with fear, kissing his feet and giving him honour,

¹²For fear that he may be angry, causing destruction to come on you, because he is quickly moved to wrath. Happy are all those who put their faith in him.

Psalm 3

¹A Psalm. Of David. When he went in flight from Absalom his son. Lord, how greatly are they increased who make attacks on me! in great numbers they come against me.

²Unnumbered are those who say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. (Selah.)

³But your strength, O Lord, is round me, you are my glory and the lifter up of my head.

⁴I send up a cry to the Lord with my voice, and he gives me an answer from his holy hill. (Selah.)

⁵I took my rest in sleep, and then again I was awake; for the Lord was my support.

⁶I will have no fear, though ten thousand have come round me, putting themselves against me.

⁷Come to me, Lord; keep me safe, O my God; for you have given all my haters blows on their face-bones; the teeth of the evil-doers have been broken by you.

⁸Salvation comes from the Lord; your blessing is on your people. (Selah.)

Psalm 4

¹To the chief music-maker on corded instruments. A Psalm. Of David. Give answer to my cry, O God of my righteousness; make me free from my troubles; have mercy on me, and give ear to my prayer.

²O you sons of men, how long will you go on turning my glory into shame? how long will you give your love to foolish things, going after what is false? (Selah.)

³See how the Lord has made great his mercy for me; the Lord will give ear to my cry.

⁴Let there be fear in your hearts, and do no sin; have bitter feelings on your bed, but make no sound. (Selah.)

⁵Give the offerings of righteousness, and put your faith in the Lord.

⁶There are numbers who say, Who will do us any good? the light of his face has gone from us.

⁷Lord, you have put joy in my heart, more than they have when their grain and their wine are increased.

⁸I will take my rest on my bed in peace, because you only, Lord, keep me safe.

Psalm 5

¹To the chief music-maker on wind instruments. A Psalm. Of David. Give ear to my words, O Lord; give thought to my heart-searchings.

²Let the voice of my cry come to you, my King and my God; for to you will I make my prayer.

³My voice will come to you in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I send my prayer to you, and keep watch.

⁴For you are not a God who takes pleasure in wrongdoing; there is no evil with you.

⁵The sons of pride have no place before you; you are a hater of all workers of evil.

⁶You will send destruction on those whose words are false; the cruel man and the man of deceit are hated by the Lord.

⁷But as for me, I will come into your house, in the full measure of your mercy; and in your fear I will give worship, turning my eyes to your holy Temple.

⁸Be my guide, O Lord, in the ways of your righteousness, because of those who are against me; make your way straight before my face.

⁹For no faith may be put in their words; their inner part is nothing but evil; their throat is like an open place for the dead; smooth are the words of their tongues.

¹⁰Send them to destruction, O Lord; let their evil designs be the cause of their fall; let them be forced out by all their sins; because they have gone against your authority.

¹¹But let all those who put their faith in you be glad with cries of joy at all times, and let all the lovers of your name be glad in you.

¹²For you, Lord, will send a blessing on the upright man; your grace will be round him, and you will be his strength.

Psalm 6

¹To the chief music-maker on corded instruments, on the Sheminith. A Psalm. Of David. O Lord, do not be bitter with me in your wrath; do not send punishment on me in the heat of your passion.

²Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am wasted away: make me well, for even my bones are troubled.

³My soul is in bitter trouble; and you, O Lord, how long?

⁴Come back, O Lord, make my soul free; O give me salvation because of your mercy.

⁵For in death there is no memory of you; in the underworld who will give you praise?

⁶The voice of my sorrow is a weariness to me; all the night I make my bed wet with weeping; it is watered by the drops flowing from my eyes.

⁷My eyes are wasting away with trouble; they are becoming old because of all those who are against me.

⁸Go from me, all you workers of evil; for the Lord has given ear to the voice of my weeping.

⁹The Lord has given ear to my request; the Lord has let my prayer come before him.

¹⁰Let all those who are against me be shamed and deeply troubled; let them be turned back and suddenly put to shame.

Psalm 7

¹Shiggaion of David; a song which he made to the Lord, about the words of Cush the Benjamite. O Lord my God, I put my faith in you; take me out of the hands of him who is cruel to me, and make me free;

²So that he may not come rushing on my soul like a lion, wounding it, while there is no one to be my saviour.

³O Lord my God, if I have done this; if my hands have done any wrong;

⁴If I have given back evil to him who did evil to me, or have taken anything from him who was against me without cause;

⁵Let my hater go after my soul and take it; let my life be crushed to the earth, and my honour into the dust. (Selah.)

⁶Come up, Lord, in your wrath; be lifted up against my haters; be awake, my God, give orders for the judging.

⁷The meeting of the nations will be round you; take your seat, then, over them, on high.

⁸The Lord will be judge of the peoples; give a decision for me, O Lord, because of my righteousness, and let my virtue have its reward.

⁹O let the evil of the evil-doer come to an end, but give strength to the upright: for men's minds and hearts are tested by the God of righteousness.

¹⁰God, who is the saviour of the upright in heart, is my breastplate.

¹¹God is the judge of the upright, and is angry with the evil-doers every day.

¹²If a man is not turned from his evil, he will make his sword sharp; his bow is bent and ready.

¹³He has made ready for him the instruments of death; he makes his arrows flames of fire.

¹⁴That man is a worker of evil; the seed of wrongdoing has given birth to deceit.

¹⁵He has made a hole deep in the earth, and is falling into the hole which he has made

¹⁶His wrongdoing will come back to him, and his violent behaviour will come down on his head.

¹⁷I will give praise to the Lord for his righteousness; I will make a song to the name of the Lord Most High.

Psalm 8

¹To the chief music-maker on the Gittith. A Psalm. Of David. O Lord, our Lord, whose glory is higher than the heavens, how noble is your name in all the earth!

²You have made clear your strength even out of the mouths of babies at the breast, because of those who are against you; so that you may put to shame the cruel and violent man.

³When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have put in their places;

⁴What is man, that you keep him in mind? the son of man, that you take him into account?

⁵For you have made him only a little lower than the gods, crowning him with glory and honour.

⁶You have made him ruler over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet;

⁷All sheep and oxen, and all the beasts of the field;

⁸The birds of the air and the fish of the sea, and whatever goes through the deep waters of the seas.

⁹O Lord, our Lord, how noble is your name in all the earth!