Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

1 For the leader. Set to “Do Not Destroy.” By David; amikhtam, when Sha’ul sent men to keep watch on David’s house in order to kill him:

2 My God, rescue me from my enemies!

Lift me up, out of reach of my foes!

3 Rescue me from evildoers,

save me from bloodthirsty men.

4 For there they are, lying in wait to kill me.

Openly they gather themselves against me,

and not because I committed a crime

or sinned,Adonai.

5 For no fault of mine, they run and prepare.

Awaken to help me, and see!

6 You,AdonaiElohei-Tzva’ot,

God of Isra’el,

arouse yourself to punish all the nations;

spare none of those wicked traitors.(Selah)

7 They return at nightfall, snarling like dogs

as they go around the city.

8 Look what pours out of their mouth,

what swords are on their lips,

[as they say to themselves,]

“No one is listening, anyway.”

9 But you,Adonai, laugh at them,

you mock all the nations.

10 My Strength, I will watch for you,

for God is my fortress.

11 God, who gives me grace, will come to me;

God will let me gaze in triumph at my foes.

12 Don’t kill them, or my people will forget;

instead, by your power, make them wander to and fro;

but bring them down,Adonaiour Shield,

13 for the sins their mouths make with each word from their lips.

Let them be trapped by their pride

for the curses and falsehoods they utter.

14 Finish them off in wrath,

finish them off, put an end to them,

and let them know to the ends of the earth

that God is Ruler in Ya‘akov.(Selah)

15 They return at nightfall, snarling like dogs

as they go around the city.

16 They roam about, looking for food,

prowling all night if they don’t get their fill.

17 But as for me, I will sing of your strength;

in the morning I will sing aloud of your grace.

For you are my fortress,

a refuge when I am in trouble.

18 My Strength, I will sing praises to you,

for God is my fortress, God, who gives me grace.

1 For the leader. Set to “Lily of Testimony.” Amikhtamof David for teaching about

2 when he fought with Aram-Naharayim and with Aram-Tzovah, and Yo’av returned and killed 12,000 from Edom in the Salt Valley:

3 God, you rejected us; you crushed us;

you were angry; but now revive us.

4 You made the land shake, split it apart;

now repair the rifts, for it is collapsing.

5 You made your people suffer hard times,

had us drink a wine that made us stagger.

6 To those who fear you because of the truth

you gave a banner to rally around,(Selah)

7 so that those you love could be rescued;

so save with your right hand, and answer us!

8 God in his holiness spoke,

and I took joy [in his promise]:

“I will divide Sh’khem

and determine the shares in the Sukkot Valley.

9 Gil‘ad is mine and M’nasheh mine,

Efrayim my helmet, Y’hudah my scepter.

10 Mo’av is my washpot; on Edom I throw my shoe;

P’leshet, be crushed because of me!”

11 Who will bring me into the fortified city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

12 God, have you rejected us?

You don’t go out with our armies, God.

13 Help us against our enemy,

for human help is worthless.

14 With God’s help we will fight valiantly,

for he will trample our enemies.

1 For the leader. With stringed instruments. By David:

2 Hear my cry, God;

listen to my prayer.

3 From the end of the earth, with fainting heart,

I call out to you.

Set me down on a rock

far above where I am now.

4 For you have been a refuge for me,

a tower of strength in the face of the foe.

5 I will live in your tent forever

and find refuge in the shelter of your wings.(Selah)

6 For you, God, have heard my vows;

you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

7 Prolong the life of the king!

May his years go on for many generations.

8 May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever!

Appoint grace and truth to preserve him!

9 Then I will sing praise to your name forever,

as day after day I fulfill my vows.

1 For the leader. Set in the style of Y’dutun. A psalm of David:

2 My soul waits in silence for God alone;

my salvation comes from him.

3 He alone is my rock and salvation,

my stronghold; I won’t be greatly moved.

4 How long will you assail a person

in order to murder him, all of you,

as if he were a sagging wall

or a shaky fence?

5 They only want to shake him from his height,

they take delight in lying —

with their mouths they bless,

but inwardly they curse.(Selah)

6 My soul, wait in silence for God alone,

because my hope comes from him.

7 He alone is my rock and salvation,

my stronghold; I won’t be moved.

8 My safety and honor rest on God.

My strong rock and refuge are in God.

9 Trust in him, people, at all times;

pour out your heart before him;

God is a refuge for us.(Selah)

10 Ordinary folks are merely a breath

and important people a sham;

if you lay them on a balance-scale, they go up —

both together are lighter than nothing.

11 Don’t put your trust in extortion,

don’t put false hopes in robbery;

even if wealth increases,

don’t set your heart on it.

12 God has spoken once, I have heard it twice:

strength belongs to God.

13 Also to you,Adonai, belongs grace;

for you reward all as their deeds deserve.

1 A psalm of David, when he was in the desert of Y’hudah:

2 O God, you are my God;

I will seek you eagerly.

My heart thirsts for you,

my body longs for you

in a land parched and exhausted,

where no water can be found.

3 I used to contemplate you in the sanctuary,

seeing your power and glory;

4 for your grace is better than life.

My lips will worship you.

5 Yes, I will bless you as long as I live;

in your name I will lift up my hands.

6 I am as satisfied as with rich food;

my mouth praises you with joy on my lips

7 when I remember you on my bed

and meditate on you in the night watches.

8 For you have been my help;

in the shadow of your wings I rejoice;

9 my heart clings to you;

your right hand supports me.

10 But those who seek to destroy my life —

may they go to the lowest parts of the earth.

11 May they be given over to the power of the sword;

may they become prey for jackals.

12 But the king will rejoice in God.

Everyone who swears by him will exult,

for the mouths of liars will be silenced.

1 For the leader. A psalm of David:

2 Hear my voice, God, as I plead:

preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

3 Hide me from the secret intrigues of the wicked

and the open insurrection of evildoers.

4 They sharpen their tongues like a sword;

they aim their arrows, poisoned words,

5 in order to shoot from cover at the innocent,

shooting suddenly and fearing nothing.

6 They support each other’s evil plans;

they talk of hiding snares

and ask, “Who would see them?”

7 They search for ways to commit crimes,

bringing their diligent search to completion

when each of them has thought it through

in the depth of his heart.

8 Suddenly God shoots them down with an arrow,

leaving them with wounds;

9 their own tongues make them stumble.

All who see them shake their heads.

10 Everyone is awestruck —

they acknowledge that it is God at work,

they understand what he has done.

11 The righteous will rejoice inAdonai;

they will take refuge in him;

all the upright in heart will exult.

1 For the leader. A psalm of David. A song:

2 To you, God, in Tziyon, silence is praise;

and vows to you are to be fulfilled.

3 You who listen to prayer,

to you all living creatures come.

4 When deeds of wickedness overwhelm me,

you will atone for our crimes.

5 How blessed are those you choose and bring near,

so that they can remain in your courtyards!

We will be satisfied with the goodness of your house,

the Holy Place of your temple.

6 It is just that you answer us with awesome deeds,

God of our salvation,

you in whom all put their trust,

to the ends of the earth and on distant seas.

7 By your strength you set up the mountains.

You are clothed with power.

8 You still the roaring of the seas,

their crashing waves, and the peoples’ turmoil.

9 This is why those living at the ends of the earth

stand in awe of your signs.

The places where the sun rises and sets

you cause to sing for joy.

10 You care for the earth and water it,

you enrich it greatly;

with the river of God, full of water,

you provide them grain and prepare the ground.

11 Soaking its furrows and settling its soil,

you soften it with showers and bless its growth.

12 You crown the year with your goodness,

your tracks overflow with richness.

13 The desert pastures drip water,

the hills are wrapped with joy,

14 the meadows are clothed with flocks

and the valleys blanketed with grain,

so they shout for joy and break into song.

1 For the leader. A song. A psalm:

Shout to God, all the earth!

2 Sing the glory of his name,

make his praise glorious.

3 Tell God, “How awesome are your deeds!

At your great power, your enemies cringe.

4 All the earth bows down to you,

sings praises to you, sings praises to your name.”(Selah)

5 Come and see what God has done,

his awesome dealings with humankind.

6 He turned the sea into dry land.

They passed through the river on foot;

there we rejoiced in him.

7 With his power he rules forever;

his eyes keep watch on the nations.

Let no rebel arise to challenge him.(Selah)

8 Bless our God, you peoples!

Let the sound of his praise be heard!

9 He preserves our lives

and keeps our feet from stumbling.

10 For you, God, have tested us,

refined us as silver is refined.

11 You brought us into the net

and bound our bodies fast.

12 You made men ride over our heads;

we went through fire and water.

But you brought us out

to a place of plenty.

13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings,

I will fulfill my vows to you,

14 those my lips pronounced and my mouth spoke

when I was in distress.

15 I will offer you burnt offerings of fattened animals,

along with the sweet smoke of rams;

I will offer bulls and goats.(Selah)

16 Come and listen, all you who fear God,

and I will tell what he has done for me.

17 I cried out to him with my mouth,

his praise was on my tongue.

18 Had I cherished evil thoughts,

Adonaiwould not have listened.

19 But in fact, God did listen;

he paid attention to my prayer.

20 Blessed be God, who did not reject my prayer

or turn his grace away from me.

1 For the leader. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song:

2 God, be gracious to us, and bless us.

May he make his face shine toward us,(Selah)

3 so that your way may be known on earth,

your salvation among all nations.

4 Let the peoples give thanks to you, God;

let the peoples give thanks to you, all of them.

5 Let the nations be glad and shout for joy,

for you will judge the peoples fairly

and guide the nations on earth.(Selah)

6 Let the peoples give thanks to you, God;

let the peoples give thanks to you, all of them.

7 The earth has yielded its harvest;

may God, our God, bless us.

8 May God continue to bless us,

so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.

1 For the leader. A psalm of David. A song:

2 Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered;

let those who hate him flee from his presence.

3 Drive them away as smoke is driven away;

like wax melting in the presence of a fire,

let the wicked perish in the presence of God.

4 But let the righteous rejoice and be glad in God’s presence;

yes, let them exult and rejoice.

5 Sing to God, sing praises to his name;

extol him who rides on the clouds

by his name,Yah;

and be glad in his presence.

6 God in his holy dwelling,

is a father to orphans and defender of widows.

7 God gives homes to those who are alone

and leads prisoners out into prosperity.

But rebels must live in a parched wasteland.

8 God, when you went out at the head of your people,

when you marched out through the wilderness,(Selah)

9 the earth quaked, and rain poured from the sky,

at the presence of God.

Even Sinai [shook] at the presence of God,

the God of Isra’el.

10 You rained down showers in plenty, God;

when your heritage was weary, you restored it.

11 Your flock settled in it;

in your goodness, God, you provided for the poor.

12 Adonaigives the command;

the women with the good news are a mighty army.

13 Kings and their armies are fleeing, fleeing,

while the women at home divide the spoil.

14 Even if you lie among the animal stalls,

there are wings of a dove covered with silver

and its plumes with green gold.

15 WhenShaddaiscatters kings there,

snow falls on Tzalmon.

16 You mighty mountain, Mount Bashan!

You rugged mountain, Mount Bashan!

17 You rugged mountain, why look with envy

at the mountain God wants for his place to live?

Truly,Adonaiwill live there forever.

18 God’s chariots are myriads, repeated thousands;

Adonaiis among them as in Sinai, in holiness.

19 After you went up into the heights,

you led captivity captive,

you took gifts among mankind,

yes, even among the rebels,

so thatYah, God, might live there.

20 Blessed beAdonai!

Every day he bears our burden,

does God, our salvation.(Selah)

21 Our God is a God who saves;

fromAdonaiAdonaicomes escape from death.

22 God will surely crush the heads of his enemies,

the hairy crowns of those who continue in their guilt.

23 Adonaisaid, “I will bring them back from Bashan,

I will fetch [those rebels] even from the depths of the sea;

24 so that you can wash your feet in their blood,

and your dogs’ tongues too can get their share from your foes.

25 They see your processions, God,

the processions of my God, my king, in holiness.

26 The singers are in front, the musicians last,

in the middle are girls playing tambourines.

27 “In choruses, bless God,Adonai,

you whose source is Isra’el.”

28 There is Binyamin, the youngest, at the head;

the princes of Y’hudah, crowding along;

the princes of Z’vulun; the princes of Naftali.

29 God, summon your strength!

Use your strength, God, as you did for us before,

30 from your temple in Yerushalayim,

where kings will bring tribute to you.

31 Rebuke the wild beast of the reeds,

that herd of bulls with their calves, the peoples,

who ingratiate themselves with bars of silver;

let him scatter the peoples who take pleasure in fighting.

32 Let envoys come from Egypt,

Let Ethiopia stretch out its hands to God.

33 Sing to God, kingdoms of the earth!

Sing praises toAdonai,(Selah)

34 to him who rides on the most ancient heavens.

Listen, as he utters his voice, a mighty voice!

35 Acknowledge that strength belongs to God,

with his majesty over Isra’el and his strength in the skies.

36 How awe-inspiring you are, God,

from your holy places,

the God of Isra’el, who gives strength

and power to the people.

Blessed be God!