Church Psalter: The Book of Psalms for Liturgical and Private Use

the psalter 

Psalm 1 

1 Happy are they who walk in the light, *

and turn from their foolish ways.

2 Their delight is in the goodness of the LORD, *

they meditate upon it day and night.

3 They are like trees planted by streams of water,*

bearing fruit in due season.

4 Their leaves do not wither; *

everything they do shall glorify their God.

5 They remember their ways of old; *

when they were like chaff which the wind blows away.

6 When they stood proudly before their God, *

and failed to praise him humbly for the gift of salvation.

7 But the LORD knows the depths of their hearts, *

and rejoices over every sinner who repents.

Psalm 2 

1 Why are the nations in an uproar? *

Why do the peoples mutter empty threats?

2 Why do the rulers of the earth rise up in revolt, and their

leaders plot together, *

against the LORD and against his Anointed?

3 Let us break their yoke, they say; *

let us cast off their bonds from us.

4 He who dwells on high grieves over them; *

the Lord mourns because of them.

5 He spoke to them with passion, *

He called and wooed them without ceasing.

6 "I myself have given you my Son *

I have sent him in the midst of you.

7 It is I, the LORD, who spoke to him: *

‘You are my Son; this day have I begotten you.

8 I will save all peoples through your word *

and the ends of the earth for your name’s sake.

9 You shall open their eyes to see the truth *

and make of them a new creation.’"

10 And now, repent of trusting in your wealth; *

bow down, you mighty ones of the earth.

11 Let God be God in all His glory, *

renounce your pride and humble yourselves before him;

12 Lest he withdraw and leave you; *

and abandon you to your own devices and desires.

13 Happy are they who are God’s children, *

who take refuge in him!

Psalm 3 

1 LORD, how many adversaries I have! *

how many there are who rise up against me!

2 How many there are who say of me, *

There is no help for him in his God.

3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me; *

you are my glory, the one who lifts up my head.

4 I call aloud upon the LORD, *

and he answers me from his holy dwelling;

5 I lie down and go to sleep; *

I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

6 I do not fear the multitudes of people *

who set themselves against me all around.

7 Be with me, O LORD; set me free, O my God; *

surely, you will help me pray for all my enemies.

8 Deliverance belongs to the LORD. *

Your blessing be upon your people!

Psalm 4 

1 I call on your name, O God, *

have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

2 I will give you all honor and glory; *

I will worship you and forsake all vanity.

3 I know that the LORD dwells among the faithful; *

I call upon the LORD, he is near me.

4 I am angry at my sin and faithlessness; *

I speak to my heart in silence upon my bed.

5 I will make all of my life a sacrifice to God *

and put my trust in the LORD.

6 Many are saying, Oh, that we might see better times! *

but the light of your countenance shines upon us always.

7 You have put gladness in my heart, *

more than when earthly treasures increase.

8 I lie down in peace; at once I fall asleep; *

for only you, LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 5 

1 Give ear to my words, O LORD; *

consider my meditation.

2 Hearken to my cry for help, my All, my God, *

for I make my prayer to you.

3 In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; *

early in the morning I spread my whole life out before you and tarry.

4 No wickedness can ever give you pleasure,*

and evil cannot dwell with you.

5 I cannot boast of any merit in your sight; *

you bless all those who seek your kingdom.

6 The lies I speak offend you, God; *

my lust for vengeance and deceit, O LORD, you abhor.

7 Only through the greatness of your mercy can I abide with you; *

I will bow down toward your holy dwelling in awe of you.

8 Take me by my hand and lead me; *

make your way straight before me.

9 For there is no truth in our mouths; *

there is destruction in our hearts;

10 Our throats are an open grave; *

we flatter with our tongues.

11 Have mercy on us, God; *

redeem us and make us whole.

12 Though our transgressions are many you help us, *

you are faithful even when we rebel against you.

13 All who take refuge in you will be glad; *

they will sing out their joy for ever.

14 You will shelter them, *

so that those who love your Name may exult in you.

15 For you, O LORD, will bless the merciful; *

You will defend them with your favor as with a shield.

Psalm 6 

1 LORD, I need you in this time of trial; *

be near me because I am afflicted.

2 Have pity on me, LORD, for I am weak; *

heal me, LORD, for my bones are racked.

3 My spirit shakes with terror; *

how long, O LORD, how long?

4 Turn to me, LORD, and deliver me; *

save me for your mercy’s sake.

5 For death is fearsome to me; *

and dread of suffering has seized my soul.

6 I grow weary because of my groaning; *

every night I lie awake and weep.

7 My eyes are wasted with grief *

and worn away because of all my troubles.

8 Depart from me, all evil spirits, *

for the LORD has heard the sound of my crying.

9 The LORD has heard my supplication; *

the LORD accepts my prayer.

10 All my worries shall be lifted; *

they shall turn to shouts of praise and thanks.

Psalm 7  

1 O LORD my God, I take refuge in you; *

save and deliver me from all my troubles;

2 Lest like wild beasts they tear me in pieces *

and snatch me away with none to deliver me.

3 O LORD my God, I know my failures: *

there is wickedness in my hands,

4 I have repaid my friend with evil, *

and wished him ill who is my enemy;

5 Oh, let not my troubles overwhelm me, *

or trample me down and make me like dust.

6 Stand by my side, O LORD, in your mercy; *

be my helper against the turmoil within me.

7 Leave me not alone, O my God, and hasten to my aid; *

send your angels to stand by my side.

8 You are the God of my life; *

O LORD, you see deep within my heart.

9 Help me according to your righteousness, O LORD, *

and according to your holiness, O Most High.

10 Let my malice come to an end, and make me righteous; *

for you test the mind and heart, O gracious God.

11 God is my shield and my defense; *

he saves those who are pure in heart.

12 God is our father and protector; *

God watches over us every day.

13 If we will not repent, God will still be faithful; *

he will send redemption and deliver us.

14 He has shown us the way; *

his help is near, he does not tarry.

15 He pities them who are in labor with wickedness, *

who conceive evil, and give birth to a lie.

16 Who dig a pit and make it deep *

and fall into the hole that they have made.

17 Whose malice turns back upon their own head; *

whose violence falls on their own scalp.

18 I will bear witness that the LORD is good; *

I will praise the Name of the LORD Most High.

Psalm 8 

1 O LORD, dear God, *

how lovely is your Name in all the world!

2 Out of the mouths of infants and children *

your majesty is praised above the heavens.

3 Their voices are pure and innocent, *

they herald the coming of your kingdom.

4 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, *

the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,

5 Who are we that you should be mindful of us? *

we mortals that you should seek us out?

6 You have made us but little lower than the angels; *

you adorn us with glory and honor;

7 You place us amid the works of your hands; *

you call us to care for all creatures:

8 All sheep and oxen, *

even the wild beasts of the field,

9 The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, *

and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea.

10 O LORD, dear God, *

how lovely is your Name in all the world!

Psalm 9 

1 I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with my whole heart; *

I will tell of all your marvelous works.

2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; *

I will sing to your Name, O Most High.

3 Now my sins are blotted out, *

I will no longer stumble because you are with me.

4 For you have made me right before you; *

you know me through and through.

5 You have rebuked, destroyed my wickedness; *

you have given me hope for ever and ever.

6 As for my past, it is finished, in perpetual ruin, *

its stronghold plowed under, its memory perished;

7 The LORD is merciful for ever; *

he has made me his dwelling place.

8 It is he who calls the world with gentleness; *

and hears those who call upon him.

9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, *

a shelter in time of trouble.

10 Those who know your Name will put their trust in you, *

for you never forsake those who seek you, O LORD.

11 Sing praises to the LORD who dwells within you; *

proclaim to the peoples the things that he has done.

12 He is ever mindful of your afflictions; *

he will not forget the cry of those who struggle.

13 You had pity on me, O LORD; *

you saw the misery I suffered from my own grievous faults.

14 So that I might rejoice in your salvation *

in the assembly of those who love your Name.

15 Without you I would have fallen into a pit, *

and my foot would have been caught in the snare of my sin.

16 The LORD is known by his loving-kindness; *

he frees the wicked from the works of their own hands.

17 Apart from God there is only the grave, *

and death alone for all the people that forget God.

18 But the needy shall not ever be forgotten, *

and the hope of the poor shall not perish for ever.

19 You have helped me, O LORD, and made me yours for ever; *

you cleansed me by your mercy.

20 Bless me with insight and wisdom, O LORD; *

remind me that my days are few on earth.

Psalm 10  

1 Why do you stand afar from us, O LORD, *

and hide yourself in times of trouble?

2 The wicked arrogantly persecute the poor, *

and trap them in the schemes they have devised.

3 The wicked boast of their heart’s desire; *

the covetous curse and revile the LORD.

4 The wicked are so proud that they care not for God; *

their only thought is, God does not matter.

5 Their ways are devious at all times; your judgments are out of

their sight; *

they defy all calls to turn and repent.

6 They say in their heart, "I shall not be shaken; *

no harm shall happen to me ever."

7 Their mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and oppression; *

under their tongue are mischief and wrong.

8 They lurk in ambush and in secret places they harm the

innocent; *

they spy out the helpless.

9 They lie in wait to seize upon the lowly; *

they seize and drag them away in their net.

10 The innocent are broken and humbled before them; *

the helpless fall before their power.

11 They say in their heart, "God and his people do not care; *

they hide their faces; they will never notice."

12 Stir us up, O LORD; strengthen our hands; *

so that we do not forget the afflicted.

13 Why should the wicked revile God and his people? *

why should they say in their heart, They do not care?

14 Surely, you behold trouble and misery; *

you see it and put it into our own hand.

15 The helpless commit themselves to you, *

they look to your people for help.

16 With you we shall break the power of wickedness; *

through you we shall bring it to an end.

17 You are God for ever and ever; *

awaken us and take away the veil from our eyes.

18 Help us to hear the cries of the humble; *

so we can strengthen their hearts and be by their