Holman Christian Standard Bible (186 page)

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7
 Remember,
Lord
, what the Edomites said
that day at Jerusalem:
“Destroy it! Destroy it
down to its foundations! ” 
8
 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy is the one who pays you back
what you have done to us. 
9
 Happy is he who takes your little ones
and dashes them against the rocks. 
Psalms
A Thankful Heart
Davidic.
138
 I will give You thanks with all my heart; 
I will sing Your praise before the heavenly beings.
2
 I will bow down toward Your holy temple
and give thanks to Your name
for Your constant love and truth.
You have exalted Your name
and Your promise above everything else. 
3
 On the day I called, You answered me;
You increased strength within me.
4
 All the kings on earth will give You thanks, 
Lord
,
when they hear what You have promised.
5
 They will sing of the 
Lord
's ways,
for the
Lord
's glory is great. 
6
 Though the
Lord
is exalted,
He takes note of the humble;
but He knows the haughty from a distance. 
7
 If I walk into the thick of danger,
You will preserve my life
from the anger of my enemies. 
You will extend Your hand;
Your right hand will save me. 
8
 The
Lord
will fulfill His purpose for me. 
Lord
, Your love is eternal;
do not abandon the work of Your hands. 
Psalms
The All-Knowing, Ever-Present God
For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.
139
 
Lord
, You have searched me and known me. 
2
 You know when I sit down and when I stand up;
You understand my thoughts from far away. 
3
 You observe my travels and my rest;
You are aware of all my ways. 
4
 Before a word is on my tongue,
You know all about it, 
Lord

5
 You have encircled me;
You have placed Your hand on me. 
6
 This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me.
It is lofty; I am unable to reach it. 
7
 Where can I go to escape Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence? 
8
 If I go up to heaven, You are there; 
if I make my bed in 
•Sheol
, You are there. 
9
 If I live at the eastern horizon
or settle at the western limits, 
10
 even there Your hand will lead me;
Your right hand will hold on to me. 
11
 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me,
and the light around me will be night”  —
12
 even the darkness is not dark to You.
The night shines like the day;
darkness and light are alike to You. 
13
 For it was You who created my inward parts; 
You knit me together in my mother's womb. 
14
 I will praise You
because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful,
and I know this very well. 
15
 My bones were not hidden from You
when I was made in secret,
when I was formed in the depths of the earth. 
16
 Your eyes saw me when I was formless;
all my days were written in Your book and planned
before a single one of them began. 
17
 God, how difficult Your thoughts are
for me to comprehend;
how vast their sum is!
18
 If I counted them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand; 
when I wake up, I am still with You. 
19
 God, if only You would kill the wicked —
you bloodthirsty men, stay away from me  —
20
 who invoke You deceitfully.
Your enemies swear by You falsely. 
21
 
Lord
, don't I hate those who hate You,
and detest those who rebel against You?
22
 I hate them with extreme hatred;
I consider them my enemies. 
23
 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns. 
24
 See if there is any offensive  way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way. 
Psalms
Prayer for Rescue
For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.
140
 Rescue me,
Lord
, from evil men.
Keep me safe from violent men 
2
 who plan evil in their hearts.
They stir up wars all day long. 
3
 They make their tongues
as sharp as a snake's bite;
viper's venom is under their lips. 
4
 Protect me,
Lord
,
from the clutches of the wicked. 
Keep me safe from violent men
who plan to make me stumble.
5
 The proud hide a trap with ropes for me;
they spread a net along the path
and set snares for me. 
Selah
6
 I say to the
Lord
, “You are my God.”
Listen,
Lord
, to my cry for help. 
7
 Lord
God
, my strong Savior,
You shield my head on the day of battle. 
8
 
Lord
, do not grant the desires of the wicked;
do not let them achieve their goals.
Otherwise, they will become proud. 
Selah
9
 When those who surround me rise up, 
may the trouble their lips cause overwhelm them. 
10
 Let hot coals fall on them.
Let them be thrown into the fire,
into the abyss, never again to rise. 
11
 Do not let a slanderer stay in the land.
Let evil relentlessly hunt down a violent man. 
12
 I know that the 
Lord
upholds
the just cause of the poor,
justice for the needy. 
13
 Surely the righteous will praise Your name;
the upright will live in Your presence. 
Psalms
Protection from Sin and Sinners
A Davidic psalm.
141
 
Lord
, I call on You; hurry to help me.
Listen to my voice when I call on You. 
2
 May my prayer be set before You as incense, 
the raising of my hands as the evening offering. 
3
 
Lord
, set up a guard for my mouth;
keep watch at the door of my lips. 
4
 Do not let my heart turn to any evil thing
or perform wicked acts
with men who commit sin.
Do not let me feast on their delicacies. 
5
 Let the righteous one strike me —
it is an act of faithful love;
let him rebuke me —
it is oil for my head;
let me not refuse it. 
Even now my prayer is against
the evil acts of the wicked.
6
 When their rulers will be thrown off
the sides of a cliff,
the people will listen to my words,
for they are pleasing. 
7
 As when one plows and breaks up the soil,
turning up rocks,
so our bones have been scattered
at the mouth of 
•Sheol

8
 But my eyes look to You, Lord 
God
.
I seek refuge in You; do not let me die.
9
 Protect me from  the trap they have set for me,
and from the snares of evildoers. 
10
 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass by safely. 
Psalms
A Cry of Distress
A Davidic •
Maskil
. When he was in the cave. A prayer.
142
 I cry aloud to the 
Lord

I plead aloud to the 
Lord
for mercy. 
2
 I pour out my complaint before Him;
I reveal my trouble to Him. 
3
 Although my spirit is weak within me,
You know my way. 
Along this path I travel
they have hidden a trap for me. 
4
 Look to the right and see: 
no one stands up for me;
there is no refuge for me;
no one cares about me. 
5
 I cry to You,
Lord
;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my portion in the land of the living.” 
6
 Listen to my cry,
for I am very weak. 
Rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me. 
7
 Free me from prison
so that I can praise Your name.
The righteous will gather around me
because You deal generously with me. 
Psalms
A Cry for Help
A Davidic psalm.
143
 
Lord
, hear my prayer.
In Your faithfulness listen to my plea,
and in Your righteousness answer me. 
2
 Do not bring Your servant into judgment, 
for no one alive is righteous in Your sight. 
3
 For the enemy has pursued me,
crushing me to the ground,
making me live in darkness
like those long dead. 
4
 My spirit is weak within me;
my heart is overcome with dismay. 
5
 I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all You have done;
I reflect on the work of Your hands. 
6
 I spread out my hands to You;
I am like parched land before You. 
7
 Answer me quickly,
Lord
;
my spirit fails. 
Don't hide Your face from me,
or I will be like those
going down to the 
•Pit

8
 Let me experience
Your faithful love in the morning,
for I trust in You. 
Reveal to me the way I should go
because I long for You. 
9
 Rescue me from my enemies,
Lord
;
I come to You for protection.
10
 Teach me to do Your will,
for You are my God. 
May Your gracious Spirit
lead me on level ground. 
11
 Because of Your name,
•Yahweh
,
let me live.
In Your righteousness deliver me from trouble, 
12
 and in Your faithful love destroy my enemies.
Wipe out all those who attack me,
for I am Your servant. 
Psalms
A King's Prayer
Davidic.
144
 May the
Lord
, my rock, be praised, 
who trains my hands for battle
and my fingers for warfare. 
2
 He is my faithful love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer.
He is my shield, and I take refuge in Him; 
He subdues my people under me. 
3
 
Lord
, what is man, that You care for him,
the son of man, that You think of him? 
4
 Man is like a breath;
his days are like a passing shadow. 
5
 
Lord
, part Your heavens and come down. 
Touch the mountains, and they will smoke. 
6
 Flash Your lightning and scatter the foe; 
shoot Your arrows and rout them. 
7
 Reach down from heaven; 
rescue me from deep water, and set me free
from the grasp of foreigners 
8
 whose mouths speak lies,
whose right hands are deceptive. 

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