Psalms Chapter 126
Prayer for restoration
1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouths were filled with laughter, and our tongues with shouts of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.
4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negev.
5 Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.
Psalms Chapter 127
Prosperity comes from Jehovah
1 Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.
2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves.
3 Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in court.
Psalms Chapter 128
The blessedness of him who fears the Lord
1 Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in obedience to him.
2 You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
4 Yes, this is how the man who fears the Lord will be blessed.
5 May the Lord bless you from Zion, and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
6 May you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel.
Psalms Chapter 129
Prayer for the destruction of the enemies of Zion
1 “They have greatly oppressed me from my youth,” Israel now declares;
2 “They have greatly oppressed me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 The plowmen plowed on my back; they made long furrows.
4 The Lord is righteous; he has cut the bonds of the wicked.
5 All who hate Zion will be put to shame and turned back.
6 They will be like grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up,
7 with which the reaper does not fill his hand, nor the binder of sheaves his arms.
8 Nor do those who pass by say, “The blessing of the Lord be upon you; we bless you in the name of the Lord.”
Psalms Chapter 130
Hope that Jehovah will give redemption
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
2 Lord, hear my voice; let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that we may fear you.
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.
6 My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.
8 And he himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.
Psalms Chapter 131
Trusting in God like a child
1 O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul.
3 Put your hope in the Lord, O Israel, both now and forevermore.
Psalms Chapter 132
Prayer for a blessing upon the sanctuary
1 Remember, O Lord, David, and all his afflictions;
2 how he swore to the Lord, and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3 “ I will not enter my house or go up to my couch;
4 I will give no sleep to my eyes, nor slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6 Behold, we heard him in Ephrathah; we found him in the fields of the forest.
7 We will go into his dwelling place; we will worship at his footstool.
8 Arise, O Lord, to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.
9 Let your priests be clothed in righteousness, and let your saints rejoice.
10 For the sake of your servant David, do not turn away your face from your anointed one.
11 The Lord swore faithfully to David and will not change his mind: “One of your descendants I will place on your throne.”
12 If your children keep my covenant and the testimony I teach them, their children will sit on your throne forever.
13 For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place.
14 This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints will shout for joy.
17 There I will cause the horn of David to sprout; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame, but on him his crown will flourish.
Psalms Chapter 133
The blessedness of brotherly love
1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is when brethren dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard, running down upon the collar of his garments;
3 as the dew of Hermon, which falls upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life forevermore.
Psalms Chapter 134
Exhortation to the guards of the temple
1 Behold, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord.
2 Lift up your hands to the sanctuary and bless the Lord.
3 May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth.
Psalms Chapter 135
The greatness of the Lord and the vanity of idols
1 Praise the name of the Lord; praise him, all you servants of the Lord,
2 you who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.
3 Praise the Lord, for he is good; sing praises to his name, for he is gracious.
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his own possession.
5 For I know that the Lord is great, and our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the deeps.
7 He makes the clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he makes lightning for the rain; he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
8 He is the one who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both man and beast.
9 He sent signs and wonders among you, Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants.
10 He destroyed many nations and slew mighty kings;
11 To Sihon king of the Amorites, to Og king of Bashan, and to all the kings of Canaan.
12 And he gave their land as an inheritance, as an inheritance to his people Israel.
13 O Lord, your name is eternal; your renown, O Lord, endures from generation to generation.
14 For the Lord will judge his people and have compassion on his servants.
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see;
17 they have ears, but cannot hear; nor is there any breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.
19 House of Israel, bless the Lord; House of Aaron, bless the Lord;
20 House of Levi, bless the Lord; you who fear the Lord, bless the Lord.
21 Blessed be the Lord from Zion, who dwells in Jerusalem. Hallelujah!
Psalms Chapter 136
Praise for the eternal mercy of Jehovah
1 Praise the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
2 Praise the God of gods; his love endures forever.
3 Praise the Lord of lords; his love endures forever.
4 To him who alone does great wonders, his love endures forever.
5 To him who by understanding made the heavens, his love endures forever.
6 To him who spread out the earth upon the waters, his love endures forever.
7 To him who made the great lights, his love endures forever.
8 The sun to rule the day, his love endures forever.
9 The moon and stars to rule the night, his love endures forever.
10 To him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, his love endures forever.
11 To him who brought Israel out from among them, his love endures forever.
12 With a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, his love endures forever.
13 To him who divided the Red Sea in two, for his mercy endures forever;
14 and led Israel through the midst of it, for his mercy endures forever;
15 and hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea, for his mercy endures forever.
16 To him who led his people through the wilderness, for his mercy endures forever.
17 To him who struck down great kings, for his mercy endures forever;
18 and killed mighty kings, for his mercy endures forever;
19 Sihon king of the Amorites, for his mercy endures forever;
20 And to Og king of Bashan, for his mercy endures forever;
21 And he gave their land as an inheritance, for his mercy endures forever;
22 As an inheritance to his servant Israel, for his mercy endures forever.
23 He is the one who remembered us in our low estate, for his mercy endures forever;
24 And rescued us from our enemies, for his mercy endures forever.
25 He gives food to every living thing, for his mercy endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his mercy endures forever.
Psalms Chapter 137
Lament of the captives in Babylon
1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows there we hung our harps.
3 Our captors required of us songs; our tormentors demanded of us songs of joy, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4 How can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill.
6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.
7 Remember, Lord, the Edomites on the day Jerusalem fell, when they said, “Tear it down, tear it down to its foundations!”
8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, blessed is the one who repays you for what you have done to us!
9 Blessed is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.
Psalms Chapter 138
Thanksgiving to Jehovah
1 I will praise you with all my heart; before the gods I will sing praise to you.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and praise your name for your love and faithfulness, for you have exalted your name and your word above all things.
3 On the day I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.
4 All the kings of the earth will praise you, Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth.
5 They will sing of the ways of the Lord, for the glory of the Lord is great.
6 Though the Lord is exalted, he regards the lowly; though proud, he sees them from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand saves me.
8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.
Psalms Chapter 139
God's omnipresence and omniscience
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,” even the light about me shall be night.
12 Even the darkness is not dark to you; the night shines like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.
19 Surely, O God, you will slay the wicked; depart from me, you bloodthirsty men.
20 For they speak blasphemies against you; your enemies take your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord, and rage against your enemies?
22 I hate them completely; I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalms Chapter 140
Plea for protection from persecutors
1 Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men,
2 who devise evil in their hearts, stirring up strife all day long.
3 They sharpen their tongues like serpents; the poison of vipers is under their lips. Selah
4 Preserve me, O Lord, from the hand of the wicked; deliver me from insolent men, who have plotted to trip me up.
5 The proud have hidden a snare and cords for me; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set traps for me. Selah
6 I said to the Lord, “You are my God; hear, O Lord, the voice of my supplications.”
7 O Lord God, my mighty savior, you have covered my head in the day of battle.
8 Do not grant the wicked man his desires, O Lord; do not give him the benefit of the doubt, lest he become proud. Selah
9 As for those who surround me on every side, the evil of their own lips will cover their heads.
10 Burning coals will fall on them; they will be thrown into the fire, into deep pits from which they cannot escape.
11 A scatterbrain will not stand firm in the land; evil will hunt down the unjust man to bring him down.
12 I know that the Lord will take up the cause of the afflicted, and the rights of the needy.
13 Surely the righteous will praise your name; the upright will dwell in your presence.
Psalms Chapter 141
Prayer to be protected from evil
1 O Lord, I cry out to you; come quickly to me; hear my voice when I call to you.
2 Let my prayer be set before you like incense, the lifting up of my hands like the evening sacrifice.
3 Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Do not let my heart be drawn to evil, to take part in wicked deeds with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies.
5 Let a righteous person strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is like sweet balm; my head will not burn. But my prayer will continually be against their wickedness.
6 Their judges will be thrown down the cliffs, and they will hear my words, for they are true.
7 Like one who plows and breaks up the earth, our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
8 Therefore my eyes are on you, O Lord God; in you I take refuge; do not forsake my soul.
9 Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, and from the traps of evildoers.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by.
Psalms Chapter 142
Request for help in the middle of the test
1 I cry out to the Lord with my voice; I plead with the Lord for mercy.
2 I pour out my complaint before him; I tell him all my troubles.
3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, you knew my path. In the way where I walked, they have hidden a snare for me.
4 Look to my right and see, for there is no one who acknowledges me; I have no refuge, no one who cares for my life.
5 I cry out to you, Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”
6 Hear my cry, for I am greatly afflicted; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.
7 Bring me out of prison, that I may praise your name; the righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.
Psalms Chapter 143
Plea for liberation and guidance
1 O Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my pleas; answer me in your faithfulness and in your righteousness.
2 Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one is righteous before you.
3 For the enemy has pursued me; he has laid my life on the ground; he has made me dwell in darkness like those long dead.
4 My spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart is desolate.
5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all your works; I consider the deeds of your hands.
6 I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah
7 Answer me quickly, O Lord, for my spirit fails; do not hide your face from me, or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
8 Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.
9 Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord; in you I take refuge.
10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
11 For your name’s sake, O Lord, you preserve my life; in your righteousness you bring me out of trouble.
12 In your unfailing love you scatter my enemies and destroy all those who are against me, for I am your servant.
Psalms Chapter 144
Prayer for help and prosperity
1 Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle;
2 my lovingkindness and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues my people under me.
3 O Lord, what is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you care for him?
4 Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.
5 O Lord, bow down your heavens and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke.
6 Send forth lightning and scatter them; shoot out your arrows and rout them.
7 Reach down your hand from on high; redeem me and draw me out of deep waters, from the hand of foreigners,
8 whose mouths speak lies, and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
9 To you, O God, I will sing a new song; With the psaltery and the ten-stringed lyre I will sing praises to you.
10 You give victory to kings, you rescue your servant David from the deadly sword.
11 Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, whose mouths speak lies, and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
12 May our sons be like plants grown up in their youth, our daughters like corner pillars carved like those of a palace;
13 may our barns be filled with all kinds of grain; may our flocks increase to thousands and tens of thousands in our fields;
14 May our oxen be strong for work; may we have no assault, no going out, no cry of alarm in our streets.
15 Blessed is the people who have this; blessed is the people whose God is the Lord.
Psalms Chapter 145
Praise for the goodness and power of God
1 I will exalt you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation commends your works to another and tells of your mighty acts.
5 I will meditate on the glorious splendor of your majesty and on your wonderful deeds.
6 People will speak of the power of your awesome deeds, and I will proclaim your greatness.
7 They will tell of the memory of your abundant goodness and sing of your righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.
9 The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.
10 All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you.
11 Let them tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your power,
12 to make known to the children of men your mighty deeds and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations.
14 The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways and compassionate in all his works.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord; let every creature bless his holy name forever and ever.
Psalms Chapter 146
Praise for God's justice
1 Praise the Lord, O my soul.
2 I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, in whom there is no salvation.
4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faithfulness forever,
7 who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free;
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the foreigner; he sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he thwarts the ways of the wicked.
10 The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, from generation to generation. Alleluia.
Praise for God's favor toward Jerusalem
1 Praise the Lord, for it is good to sing praises to our God; for praise is pleasant and fitting.
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars and calls them all by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.
6 The Lord lifts up the humble but casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praises to our God with the harp.
8 He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the mountains.
9 He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.
10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse or take pleasure in the agility of a man.
11 The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who put their hope in his unfailing love.
12 Praise the Lord, Jerusalem! Praise your God, Zion!
13 For he has strengthened the bars of your gates; he has blessed your children within you.
14 He grants peace within your borders; he satisfies you with the finest of wheat.
15 He sends out his word to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool and scatters frost like ashes.
17 He hurls down his hail like flail stones; who can stand before his cold?
18 He sends out his word and melts them; he blows his wind, and the waters flow.
19 He has revealed his word to Jacob, his statutes and his judgments to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his judgments. Praise the Lord!
17 And to the man he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.
20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.
21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”
23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.
24 After he drove the man out, he placed at the east of the Garden of Eden Cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
Psalms Chapter 148
An exhortation to creation, to praise Jehovah
1 Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights.
2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts.
3 Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded, and they were created.
6 He established them forever and ever; he gave them a decree that will not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
8 fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy winds that do his bidding,
9 you mountains and all hills, you fruit trees and all cedars,
10 you wild animals and all cattle, you creeping things and flying birds,
11 you kings of the earth and all peoples, you princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Young men and maidens, old men and children,
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above the earth and the heavens.
14 He has raised up a horn for his people; let all his saints praise him, the children of Israel, the people close to him. Praise the Lord!
Psalms Chapter 149
Exhortación a Israel, para que alabe a Jehová
1 Sing to the Lord a new song; let his praise be in the assembly of the saints.
2 Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the children of Zion be glad in their King.
3 Let them praise his name with dancing; let them sing praise to him with tambourine and harp.
4 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.
5 Let the saints rejoice in his glory; let them sing for joy on their beds.
6 Let the high praise of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands,
7 to execute vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron,
9 to execute on them the judgment written. This will be glory for all his saints. Praise the Lord!
Psalms Chapter 150
Exhortation to praise God with musical instruments
1 Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet; praise him with the harp and lyre.
4 Praise him with timbrel and dancing; praise him with the strings and pipe.
5 Praise him with the clash of cymbals; praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
