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¹I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him.

²He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.

³So many enemies against one man — all of them trying to kill me. To them I’m just a broken-down wall or a tottering fence.

⁴They plan to topple me from my high position. They delight in telling lies about me. They praise me to my face but curse me in their hearts. Interlude

⁵Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.

⁶He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.

⁷My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.

⁸O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge. Interlude

⁹Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind, and the powerful are not what they appear to be. If you weigh them on the scales, together they are lighter than a breath of air.

¹⁰Don’t make your living by extortion or put your hope in stealing. And if your wealth increases, don’t make it the center of your life.

¹¹God has spoken plainly, and I have heard it many times: Power, O God, belongs to you;

¹²unfailing love, O Lord, is yours. Surely you repay all people according to what they have done.

¹O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.

²I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory.

³Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you!

⁴I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer.

⁵You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy.

⁶I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night.

⁷Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.

⁸I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely.

⁹But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin. They will go down into the depths of the earth.

¹⁰They will die by the sword and become the food of jackals.

¹¹But the king will rejoice in God. All who swear to tell the truth will praise him, while liars will be silenced.

¹O God, listen to my complaint. Protect my life from my enemies’ threats.

²Hide me from the plots of this evil mob, from this gang of wrongdoers.

³They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their bitter words like arrows.

⁴They shoot from ambush at the innocent, attacking suddenly and fearlessly.

⁵They encourage each other to do evil and plan how to set their traps in secret. “Who will ever notice?” they ask.

⁶As they plot their crimes, they say, “We have devised the perfect plan!” Yes, the human heart and mind are cunning.

⁷But God himself will shoot them with his arrows, suddenly striking them down.

⁸Their own tongues will ruin them, and all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.

⁹Then everyone will be afraid; they will proclaim the mighty acts of God and realize all the amazing things he does.

¹⁰The godly will rejoice in the LORD and find shelter in him. And those who do what is right will praise him.

¹What mighty praise, O God, belongs to you in Zion. We will fulfill our vows to you,

²for you answer our prayers. All of us must come to you.

³Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all.

⁴What joy for those you choose to bring near, those who live in your holy courts. What festivities await us inside your holy Temple.

⁵You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas.

⁶You formed the mountains by your power and armed yourself with mighty strength.

⁷You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves and silenced the shouting of the nations.

⁸Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy.

⁹You take care of the earth and water it, making it rich and fertile. The river of God has plenty of water; it provides a bountiful harvest of grain, for you have ordered it so.

¹⁰You drench the plowed ground with rain, melting the clods and leveling the ridges. You soften the earth with showers and bless its abundant crops.

¹¹You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.

¹²The grasslands of the wilderness become a lush pasture, and the hillsides blossom with joy.

¹³The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep, and the valleys are carpeted with grain. They all shout and sing for joy!

¹Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth!

²Sing about the glory of his name! Tell the world how glorious he is.

³Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! Your enemies cringe before your mighty power.

⁴Everything on earth will worship you; they will sing your praises, shouting your name in glorious songs.” Interlude

⁵Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he performs for people!

⁶He made a dry path through the Red Sea, and his people went across on foot. There we rejoiced in him.

⁷For by his great power he rules forever. He watches every movement of the nations; let no rebel rise in defiance. Interlude

⁸Let the whole world bless our God and loudly sing his praises.

⁹Our lives are in his hands, and he keeps our feet from stumbling.

¹⁰You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver.

¹¹You captured us in your net and laid the burden of slavery on our backs.

¹²Then you put a leader over us. We went through fire and flood, but you brought us to a place of great abundance.

¹³Now I come to your Temple with burnt offerings to fulfill the vows I made to you —

¹⁴yes, the sacred vows that I made when I was in deep trouble.

¹⁵That is why I am sacrificing burnt offerings to you — the best of my rams as a pleasing aroma, and a sacrifice of bulls and male goats. Interlude

¹⁶Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me.

¹⁷For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke.

¹⁸If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

¹⁹But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer.

²⁰Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.

¹May God be merciful and bless us. May his face smile with favor on us. Interlude

²May your ways be known throughout the earth, your saving power among people everywhere.

³May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you.

⁴Let the whole world sing for joy, because you govern the nations with justice and guide the people of the whole world. Interlude

⁵May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you.

⁶Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God, our God, will richly bless us.

⁷Yes, God will bless us, and people all over the world will fear him.

¹Rise up, O God, and scatter your enemies. Let those who hate God run for their lives.

²Blow them away like smoke. Melt them like wax in a fire. Let the wicked perish in the presence of God.

³But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God’s presence. Let them be filled with joy.

⁴Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the LORD — rejoice in his presence!

⁵Father to the fatherless, defender of widows — this is God, whose dwelling is holy.

⁶God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

⁷O God, when you led your people out from Egypt, when you marched through the dry wasteland, Interlude

⁸the earth trembled, and the heavens poured down rain before you, the God of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.

⁹You sent abundant rain, O God, to refresh the weary land.

¹⁰There your people finally settled, and with a bountiful harvest, O God, you provided for your needy people.

¹¹The Lord gives the word, and a great army brings the good news.

¹²Enemy kings and their armies flee, while the women of Israel divide the plunder.

¹³Even those who lived among the sheepfolds found treasures — doves with wings of silver and feathers of gold.

¹⁴The Almighty scattered the enemy kings like a blowing snowstorm on Mount Zalmon.

¹⁵The mountains of Bashan are majestic, with many peaks stretching high into the sky.

¹⁶Why do you look with envy, O rugged mountains, at Mount Zion, where God has chosen to live, where the LORD himself will live forever?

¹⁷Surrounded by unnumbered thousands of chariots, the Lord came from Mount Sinai into his sanctuary.

¹⁸When you ascended to the heights, you led a crowd of captives. You received gifts from the people, even from those who rebelled against you. Now the LORD God will live among us there.

¹⁹Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms. Interlude

²⁰Our God is a God who saves! The Sovereign LORD rescues us from death.

²¹But God will smash the heads of his enemies, crushing the skulls of those who love their guilty ways.

²²The Lord says, “I will bring my enemies down from Bashan; I will bring them up from the depths of the sea.

²³You, my people, will wash your feet in their blood, and even your dogs will get their share!”

²⁴Your procession has come into view, O God — the procession of my God and King as he goes into the sanctuary.

²⁵Singers are in front, musicians behind; between them are young women playing tambourines.

²⁶Praise God, all you people of Israel; praise the LORD, the source of Israel’s life.

²⁷Look, the little tribe of Benjamin leads the way. Then comes a great throng of rulers from Judah and all the rulers of Zebulun and Naphtali.

²⁸Summon your might, O God. Display your power, O God, as you have in the past.

²⁹The kings of the earth are bringing tribute to your Temple in Jerusalem.

³⁰Rebuke these enemy nations — these wild animals lurking in the reeds, this herd of bulls among the weaker calves. Make them bring bars of silver in humble tribute. Scatter the nations that delight in war.

³¹Let Egypt come with gifts of precious metals ; let Ethiopia bring tribute to God.

³²Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth. Sing praises to the Lord. Interlude

³³Sing to the one who rides across the ancient heavens, his mighty voice thundering from the sky.

³⁴Tell everyone about God’s power. His majesty shines down on Israel; his strength is mighty in the heavens.

³⁵God is awesome in his sanctuary. The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!