Easy English Bible - Psalms - 2001

Chapter  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30  31  32  33  34  35  36  37  38  39  40  41  42  43  44  45  46  47  48  49  50  51  52  53  54  55  56  57  58  59  60  61  62  63  64  65  66  67  68  69  70  71  72  73  74  75  76

 Psalm 1

The man is very happy that does not:

walk as godless people suggest
stand in the way near sinners
sit with them that scorn (God)

He likes what the LORD teaches.

He repeats it day and night.

"He will become like a tree planted by rivers of water". (Jeremiah 17:8)

"It will give its fruit in its season. Its leaves will not fall" (Ezekiel 47:12)
"Everything that he does will be very good". (Joshua 1:8)

But the godless are like chaff.

The wind blows them away.

So godless people will not stand in the judgment.

Sinners will not stay with righteous people.

The LORD knows the way of righteous people.

The way of the godless leads to death.

 Psalm 2

Why are nations planning together?

Why are people having such stupid ideas?

Why are their kings saying,

"We will not obey the LORD"?
Why are their leaders saying,
"We will not do what his Messiah says"?

He that is sitting above the skies will laugh.

The Lord will say that they are stupid.

Then he will say angry words to them.

He will make them very frightened because he is so angry.

He will say, "I myself put my king in Zion.

I put him on my holy mountain".

I will tell you what God has decided to do.

The LORD said to me, "You are my son.
Today I have given you the honour that goes with that name.

Ask me for anything! I will give you nations.

The whole world can be yours.

You will rule them with an iron sceptre.

You will break them like a clay pot".

So now, you kings, be careful.

You world leaders, listen to this:

Become the servants of the LORD.

Remember that he is very powerful.

Kiss his son or God will be angry.

He may be so angry that you will die.
Only the people that come to the LORD are really happy.
He will make them safe.

 Psalm 3 (This is) a song of David when he ran away from Absalom his son.

LORD, every day I have more enemies.

Many people fight me.

Many people say about me,

"God will not save him". SELAH

But LORD, you are a shield over me.

You are my glory.
You have lifted up my head.

I shouted aloud to the LORD.

He answered me from his holy mountain. SELAH

I lay down and slept.

I awoke because the LORD kept me alive.
He kept me safe.

I will not be afraid of 10 000 enemies that are all round me.

LORD, stand up! My God, save me!

In the past, you hit all my enemies in the face.
You broke their teeth.

It was the LORD that saved us.

Lord, do good things for all your people. SELAH

 Psalm 4 (Tell the music leader) to use stringed instruments. (This is) a song of David.

Answer me when I shout for help, O God.

You are the God that makes me righteous.
Give me help in my troubles.
Show me that you are kind.
Listen to me when I pray.

Sons of man:

how long will you say that I am bad?
how long will you love stupid ideas?
how long will you want to hear lies? SELAH

Sons of man:

the LORD has chosen me
the LORD has made me separate for himself
the LORD will listen when I pray to him

Get angry - but do nothing wrong. Go to bed.

Argue with yourself - but say nothing (aloud). SELAH

Offer the right gifts and believe in the LORD.

Many people say, "Who will do anything good for us?"

LORD, shine the light of your face on us.

You have made me feel happy deep down inside me.

I feel better than I do at a harvest party.

I will lie down in peace. Soon I will sleep.

This is because only you, LORD, keep me safe.

 Psalm 5 (Tell the) music leader to use flutes. (This is) a song of David.

LORD, hear my words.

Listen to what I am saying to you.

My king and my God, listen to my voice.

I am praying to you for help.
I am shouting to you!

LORD, at sunrise you will hear my voice.

I will watch and pray early in the morning.

My God, you do not like what is wrong.

Bad people cannot live with you.

Some people think that they are important.

They cannot stay near to God.
God, you hate everyone that does wrong.

You destroy all that do not speak the truth.

The LORD hates all people that do murder.
He hates people that do not keep their promises.

But I will come into your house

because you are so loving and kind.
I will bend low in your holy temple.

Lead me in your righteous way

because of my enemies.
Make your path straight for me.

Nothing that my enemies say is true.

They want to destroy me.
Their mouth is like an open grave.
They only speak what is not true.

God, tell them that they are not right.

Show them that their ideas are wrong.
Send them away because they are bad.
They argued with you.

Make all the people happy that hide with you.

Make them always sing for joy.
Cover them that love your name. Keep them safe.
Then they will rejoice in you.

LORD, you do such good things to the righteous.

Your love is all round them.

 Psalm 6 (This is) a song of David. (Tell the) music leader, "Use a harp and male singers".

LORD, do not become angry with me.

Please do not become angry.

LORD, be kind to me because I am not strong.

LORD, give me health because my bones are afraid.

I myself am very frightened. LORD - for how long?

LORD, come back. Give me back my life.

Make me safe because of your kind love.

Nobody that dies can remember you.

Who can praise you in Sheol?

I am weak with crying.

My bed swims on my tears every night.
The place where I sleep is soaked.

My eyes are so sad that they are growing weak.

They are becoming old because of all my enemies.

Go away from me all you bad people.

The LORD has listened to the noise of my crying.

The LORD heard me when I asked him for a kind answer.

The Lord will listen to what I say.

All those that hate me will be very much ashamed.

They will also be disappointed.
They will be disappointed and soon they will turn away.

 Psalm 7 David showed what he felt. He sang to the LORD because of what Cush said. Cush was from Benjamin.

LORD, my God, I am hiding in you.

Keep me safe from all those (people) that are trying to catch me.
Make me safe,

or he will tear me to pieces as a wild animal would.

He will tear me to pieces and nobody will find me.

LORD, my God, if I did this:

if my hand did something wrong
if I did something bad to a friend
if I robbed my enemy without a reason

then I want him to catch me.

I want him to knock me to the ground.
I want him to kill and bury me. SELAH

LORD, get up and show that you are angry.

Fight my angry enemies.
Wake up, my God, and tell us who is right.

I want everybody to stand round you.

Rule over them from above.

LORD, tell us who is right when people argue.

LORD Most High, say that I am righteous and honest.

Stop the godless from fighting. Make the righteous safe.

God of the righteous, look at how we think and feel.

God Most High is a shield over me.

He makes everyone that has a clean heart safe.

God is a righteous judge.

God shows his anger every day.

if he does not change his mind, he will make his sword sharp.

He will bend his bow and make it ready.

He will prepare weapons of death for bad people.

He will make ready arrows of fire.

Look! The bad man is pregnant with evil.

He conceives trouble. He gives birth to false ideas.

He digs a hole. He makes it deep.

Then he himself falls into the hole that he has made!

The trouble that he makes for others falls on his own head.

His own violence comes down on the top of himself!

I will thank the LORD because he is righteous.

I will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

 Psalm 8 The music leader must use Gittith. (This is) a song of David.

LORD, you are our most powerful king.

Your name is famous in all the wide world.
Your glory is over the skies.

From the mouths of children and babies at the breast

you show (what it is to be) strong.
This is because you have enemies.
You will beat your enemies and the avenger.

When I look at your skies that your fingers made:

I see the moon
I see the stars
You gave them all a place

Then I ask:

why do you remember men (and women)?
what makes you visit them?

You made their place a little below God.

You made them feel as kings.

You made them to rule everything that your hands made.

You put everything under their feet:
sheep and cows
wild animals in the fields
birds in the air
fish in the waters
monsters in the deep seas

LORD, you are our most powerful king.

Your name is famous in all the wide world.

 Psalm 9 The leader (must use the music) "Death to the son". (This is) a song of David

All my heart sings 'thank you' to the LORD.

I will tell (people) of all your wonderful work.

I will be very happy with you, (LORD). I will rejoice in you.

I will sing praises to your name, Most High God.

Back my enemies went,

they fell down. They died in front of you,

because you judged that what I did was right .

You sat on your throne. You made a righteous judgment.

Clearly you judged the nations and destroyed the wicked.

People will never remember their names.

You caught the enemy. You killed them.

You knocked down their cities. People will just forget them.

Evermore the LORD will rule.

He has built his throne. On it, he will make his judgments.

He will make righteous judgments for the world.

His government will give justice to the people.

For the LORD is a place where the oppressed can hide.

He will be a fortress in times of trouble.

Everyone that knows your name (LORD) will put their trust in you.

LORD, you will never turn away from anyone that looks for you.

Go to the LORD with praises. His throne is in Zion.

Tell all the nations all that he has done.

(God) will remember the people that somebody murdered.

He will not forget the oppressed people that cry to him.

Have mercy on me, LORD.

See how my enemies make my life very difficult.
Make me safe from the gates of death.

Then I will tell your praises in the gates of Jerusalem.

I will rejoice that I am safe with you.

Into the hole that they dug the nations fell.

They caught their own feet in the net that they hid.

You will recognise the LORD by his justice.

The enemies of God will catch themselves in their own nets.
HIGGAION SELAH

Just as the enemies of God go to Sheol,

so will all the nations that forget him.

Know this: God will not always forget the poor.

The oppressed will not have to hope for evermore.

LORD, stand up! Do not let men become too powerful.

Let the nations find justice before you.

LORD, make them afraid.

Make the nations know that they are only human. SELAH

 Psalm 10

LORD, why are you standing so far away?

Why do you hide when there is trouble?

in his pride, the wicked man tries to catch helpless people.

I hope that wicked people catch themselves with their bad plans!

The wicked boasts about what he wants.

He says good things about those that want more than is fair.
He says very bad things about the LORD.

In his pride, the wicked does not look for God.

He will not even think of God.

Everything that the wicked does always works well.

He puts the rules of God far from him.
He laughs at the people that do not like him.

He says to himself, "There will be no trouble for me.

Nothing bad will ever happen to me or to my children".

His mouth makes bad promises.

It is full of words that are not true.
He says that he will do very bad things to people.
There is evil on his tongue.

He hides behind the bushes near the villages.

He watches in secret for people to hurt.
He jumps out and murders people that have done nothing wrong.

He lies like a lion under the cover of a bush.

He waits to catch someone that is helpless.
He does catch him and takes him away in his net.

He beats the helpless man.

The helpless man fails and falls under the stronger man.

He says to himself, "God forgot.

He hid his face. He never saw what happened".

Rise up, O God! Lift up your hand.

Do not forget the helpless people.

Why does the wicked man say such bad things about God?

Why does he think, "God will not do anything about it?"

See it all, God, all the trouble,

all the oppressed people.
Decide what to do about it.
The helpless puts his trust in you.
You give help to the fatherless.

The arm of the wicked and evil man ... break it (LORD)!

Tell him to explain what he has done.
He thought that you would not discover it!

The LORD will always be king.

The nations will not remain in his land for evermore.

You hear, LORD, what oppressed people want.

You listen when they pray. You give them something to hope for.

You care for the fatherless and the oppressed.

People from the earth will not frighten the poor again.

 Psalm 11 (This is) a song of David for the music leader.

(These are words of David.)

I am hiding in the LORD.
How can you say to me,
(These are the words of David's friends.)
Fly away like a bird to the hills?

Look at the godless!

They are preparing their bows and arrows.
They are getting ready to shoot at good people.
They are hiding in the shadows.

When people destroy the foundations

what can the righteous do?

(These are words of David.)

The LORD is in his holy temple.
The LORD is sitting on his throne in heaven.
He is looking down.
His eyes see what the sons of men are doing.

The LORD is (also) checking what the righteous are doing.

But the LORD really hates the godless.
He also hates the people that love to hurt other people.

Burning coal and sulphur will rain on the godless.

A very hot wind will be their inheritance and cup.

The LORD is righteous.

He loves righteous people.
They will see his face.

 Psalm 12 (This is) a song of David. (Tell the) music leader to use male singers.

LORD, give help!

There are no more kind people.
Nobody is faithful anywhere.

Everybody tells lies to his neighbour.

Their words sound good, but they are not.

LORD, cut off every tongue that tells lies.

Shut every mouth that boasts.

Do this to everyone that says:

what we say will make us powerful
we will say what we like
who will stop us?

The LORD says, "Now I will do something.

This is because bad people attack the poor.
They make the poor cry.
So, I will make the poor safe.
They will be safe from all that scorn them"

The words of the LORD are beautiful words.

They are like silver.
People refine silver 7 times in a very hot fire.

LORD, you will keep the poor safe.

You will never let bad people hurt them.

The godless are winners

when people say that "Wrong is right".

 Psalm 13 (This is) a song of David for the music leader.

How long, LORD, will you forget me? For all time?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I think such sad thoughts? All day long?

How long will my enemy win?

Look! Answer me LORD.

My God, give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death.

My enemy will say, "I beat him!"

My enemies will be very happy when I fall.

But I will believe in your love that never fails.

My heart will be very happy because you make me safe.

I will sing to the LORD.

He is so good to me.

 Psalm 14 (This is) a song of David for the music leader.

A man without shame says in his heart, "There is no God".

Everybody is bad. They are all evil.
Nobody is doing anything good.

The LORD is looking down from heaven on the sons of man.

He is looking to see if there is anyone that understands.
He is looking to see if anyone is looking for God.

But everybody has turned away (from God).

They have all become evil.
Nobody does anything that is good.

Will they never learn? They do evil.

They eat my people (as easily) as they eat bread.
They never talk to God.

There they were afraid. They were very much afraid.

This was because God was with the righteous.

They tried to stop the plans of the poor people.

But the poor people hid in the LORD.

Oh, who will come from Zion and make Israel safe?

When the LORD makes his people rich and happy again,
then this is what will happen:
Jacob will sing and Israel will dance.

 Psalm 15

LORD, who will stay in your house?

Who will live on your holy hill?

He that is always:

- making no mistakes
- doing what is fair
- speaking in his heart what is true

He says nothing bad.

He does nothing wrong to his neighbours.
He does not call his brother a fool.

He does not like bad people,

but he does like the servants of the LORD.
He keeps his promises even when it costs a lot.

He does not lend money to get more money.

He does not take money to do what is not fair.
Nothing can ever move the man that does all this.

 Psalm 16

(This is) the secret of David.

Keep me safe, my God, because I come to you for help.

I said to the LORD, You are my Lord.

All the good things in my life come from you.

I have great pleasure in the saints on earth.

It is they that do such good things.

But people that run after other (gods) will be sorry.

They will be more than sorry.
I will not offer gifts of blood (to other gods) with them.
I will not even say the names of these (other gods).

You, LORD, chose my part and my cup.

You make safe what is mine.

The lines fell to me in a pleasing place.

(Or, You chose a part for me that is very pleasing.)
Yes. My part is really very beautiful.

I will say how great the LORD is. He is my teacher.

In the dark nights, my feelings also teach me.

I kept the LORD always in front of me.

With him at my right hand nobody will move me.

My heart is happy. My mouth is always singing.

My body will be safe when I sleep.

You will not send me to Sheol.

You will not let your holy one see the Pit.

You will show me the path of life.

With you, I will enjoy myself a lot.
At your right hand there is pleasure for ever.

 Psalm 17

LORD, hear what I am saying to you.

What I am asking is righteous.
Listen to me when I cry.
Answer me when I pray to you.
My lips do not tell lies.

I want justice from you.

I want your eyes to see what is right.

You can look at the secrets of my heart.

You can test me at night.
Though you test me, you will find nothing (wrong).
I promise myself that my mouth will not sin.

People do bad things.

The words of your mouth (have given me help).
(They) gave me help not to do bad things.

I put my feet on your path.

My feet did not trip over.

God, I pray to you, because you will answer me.

Listen to me when I pray to you.

Show that your great love is wonderful.

Your right hand saves the people that ask for your help.
It makes them safe from their enemies.

Make me as safe as the apple of your eye.

Hide me under the shadow of your wings.

Very bad men have attacked me.

Enemies that want to kill me are all round me.

Their hearts have become hard.

They speak very proud words.

They found me. They are all round me.

Their eyes are open wide.
They want to put me on the ground.

They are like a hungry lion.

They are like a great lion that is hunting for its food.

LORD, get up! Stand in front of them. Knock them down.

Save me from wicked men by your sword.

LORD, by your hand (take them) from the earth.

Remove them from the world. Their reward is in this life.
You give plenty of food to the people that you love.
Their sons also have plenty.
They will give much to their children.

And I, because I am righteous, I will see your face, (LORD).

It will be enough for me when I awake.
Then I will really see you.

 Psalm 18 (This is) for the music leader. (It is) for the servant of the LORD. (It is) for David. David spo

ke the words of this song. David did this when the LORD saved David from his enemies. Also, when the LORD saved David from Saul.

1: God is a Rock for David)

I will love you, LORD.

In you, I am strong.

The LORD is my rock and my fortress.

He gives me help.
God is my rock.
I run and hide in his shadow.
He is my shield.
He is the one that saves me.
He is my high tower.

The LORD is someone that I must praise.

He will save me from my enemies.

2: David asks for help)

Death was all round me.

God's enemies were following me.

Sheol was tying me down.

Death was catching me.

in my trouble, I prayed to the LORD.

I shouted to my God for help.
He heard my voice from his temple.
My words went into his ears.

3: God answers David)

So, the earth moved and shook.

The foundations of the mountains shook.
They moved because God was angry.

Smoke rose from his nose.

Burning fire came from his mouth.
Burning coals shot out from him.

God opened the heavens and came down.

Dark clouds were under his feet.

He sat on a cherub and he flew.

God flew in the arms of the wind.

God covered himself with darkness.

He was in the dark waters and clouds in the skies.

It was very bright where God was.

Out of the clouds came hail and lightning.

The LORD sent thunder from the heavens.

People heard the voice of the Most High.
There was hail and there was lightning.

(The LORD) shot his arrows (of lightning).

He made his enemies very frightened.
He sent a lot of lightning and he beat his enemies.

People saw how deep the sea was.

They saw the foundations of the earth.
This was because God blew on them through his nose.

(The LORD) came down to me. He held me.

He took me out from deep waters.

He saved me from my powerful enemy.

He saved me from people that hated me.
They were too strong for me.

It was a bad day for me when I met them.

But the LORD gave me help.

He led me out to a wide place.

He saved me because he found pleasure in me.

4: Why God gives help to people)

The LORD did this because:

I am righteous
my hands are clean
I obeyed the rules of the LORD
I did no evil
I did not turn away from God

Really, all his rules are in front of me.

I did not turn away from them

I did nothing wrong before him.

I did no sin.

(The LORD) made me righteous.

My hands are clean when he looks at me.

To people that are kind, you (God) are kind.

To people that do nothing wrong, you do nothing wrong.

To people that are clean, you are clean.

To people that turn away from you, you turn away from them.

You will save humble people.

You will not save people unless they are humble.

5: Everything that David owns comes from God)

LORD, you make my light burn brightly.

My God is my light in the dark.

Really, in you I run up to a troop (of soldiers).

In my God, I can jump over a wall.

The way of God is perfect.

The word of the LORD is true.
He is a shield for everyone that hides in him.

Because who is God? Only the LORD!

Who is a rock? Only our God!

It is in God that I am strong.

He makes my way perfect.

He makes my feet like the feet of a goat.

I do not fall on the hills.

He teaches my hands to fight.

My arms can bend a metal bow.

(God) you made me into a winner.

You bent down (to earth). You made me great.

You made me take long steps.

My ankles did not turn.

I ran after my enemies. I caught them.

I did not turn back until I had killed them.

I knocked them down. They did not get up again.

They fell beneath my feet.

You made me strong for fighting.

You made my enemies bend in front of me.

You gave their necks to me.

I destroyed my enemies.

They cried for help but nobody saved them.

They cried to the LORD but he did not answer.

I cut them into small pieces in the wind.

I put them on the streets as sand.

6: God made David king)

You saved me from the people that attacked me.

You made me the leader of the nations.
I even rule people that I do not know.

When they hear about me they obey me.

Foreign people are afraid of me.

They will not fight me.

They do not hide in their fortresses.

The LORD is alive. Praise my Rock.

Lift high the God that saves me.

He is the God that fights for me.

He makes the nations obey me.

He saves me from my enemies.

You lifted me above those enemies.
You saved me from angry men.

LORD, I will praise you in all the nations.

I will praise your name with songs.

(The LORD) will give his king great power.

He will always show kindness to his Messiah, to David.
He will show kindness to his children.

 Psalm 19 (This is) a song of David for the music leader.

The heavens are telling us about the glory of God.

The sky is showing the things that his hands have made.

One day pours out the story to another day.

One night tells the next night what it knows.

(But) they do not use words and have no languages.

Nobody hears their voice.

(Yet) what they say goes into all the earth.

Their words go to the ends of the world.
God has made a home for the sun (in the sky).

The sun comes out from his home like a bridegroom.

He is very happy to run fast, like a very strong man.

His sunrise is at one end of the heavens.

He travels in a big circle to the other end.
Nothing can hide from the heat of the sun.

The book of the LORD is wonderful.

It makes people feel alive again.
We can trust what the LORD tells us.
He points out the way when we are not sure of it.

What the LORD tells us to do is always right.

It makes us feel happy deep down inside us.
What the LORD commands us is pure.
It makes our eyes shine with new light.

The fear of the LORD is a clean fear.

It will always remain with us.
Every word that the LORD says is true.
Every one of them is righteous.

They are of more value than gold,

even a lot of pure gold.
They are sweeter than honey,
even the best honey that bees make.

Also, they are a guide to your servant.

Good things come if he obeys them.

Who can know when he has made mistakes?

Forgive me all my secret sins.

Also, stop your servant from wanting to sin.

Do not let sin rule over me.
Then nobody will say that I did wrong.
I will be clean (because you help me).
I will not do anything very bad.

Lord, I want everything that I say to make you happy.

I want all my thoughts to please you.
You are my Rock and you are my Redeemer.

 Psalm 20 (This is) a Psalm of David for the music leader

We are praying that:

the LORD will answer you when trouble comes
the name of the God of Jacob will make you safe
God will send you help from his holy place
he will make you strong from Zion
God will remember all your gifts
he will like all your burnt offerings SELAH

We want God to give you all that you really want

to make all your plans work well

We will shout for joy when you win the war.

We will lift up our banners in the name of our God.
We want the LORD to answer all that you pray.

Now I know that the LORD will save his king.

God will answer him from his holy heaven.
The right hand of God will save the king.

Some people rely on chariots. Others rely on horses.

But we will trust in the name of the LORD our God.

They will falter and fall.

But we will get up and remain strong.

Lord, save the king!

Answer us when we pray.

 Psalm 21 (This is) a psalm of David for the music leader

LORD, the king is enjoying your power.

He is very happy.
You gave him help to win.

You gave to him what he really wanted.

You gave to him everything that he asked for. SELAH
You met him and gave to him such good things:
you put a crown of the best gold on his head
he wanted to stay alive and you let him
his life will go on, it will never finish
he has great glory because you gave him help to win
you gave to him honour and he now remains as king

You will always do good things for him.

He is very happy because you are with him.

The king is relying on the LORD.

Because the Most High is loving and kind, nobody will move the king.

Your hand will find all your enemies.

Your right hand will catch everybody that hates you.

When they see you, you will burn them all.

When you are angry, your fire will destroy them.

You will remove their children from the earth.

They will have no families anywhere.

This is because they planned evil against you.

They had really bad ideas and they did not work.

You will make them turn their backs to you.

This is because you will shoot your arrows at their faces.

LORD, you are really strong. You sit on high.

We will sing and praise your power.

 Psalm 22 (Part 1 ~ David is Suffering) The leader (must use) the music of "The Hind of the Morning&qu

ot;. (This is) a song of David.

My God!

My God, why have you left me by myself?
Why is my help far away?
I am crying out in agony!

My God!

I cry out for help all day long.
You do not answer.
I cry out all through the night.
You send me no peace.

But you are the Holy God!

The praise of Israel is like a throne for you.

Our fathers trusted in you.

They trusted in you and you made them safe.

They cried out to you and you saved them.

They trusted in you and you did not disappoint them.

2 ~ Men Hate David)

But I am a worm. I am not a man.

People scorn me. Everybody hates me.

Everyone that sees me mocks me.

They say bad things. They shake their heads.

(They say) If the LORD likes him so much

perhaps he (the LORD) will save him.
Perhaps he will rescue him.

But you, LORD, you:

brought me from the womb
made me trust you at the my mother's breast

I trusted you, LORD, from the womb.

From the womb of my mother, you were my God.

Do not stay far from me. Trouble is near.

There is nobody to give me help.

3 ~ Trouble is All Round Me)

Many bulls are all round me.

They are strong bulls of Bashan.
They make a circle with me in the middle.

They open wide their mouths towards me.

They are like lions that tear their food.
They roar while they do it.

They are pouring me out like water.

All my bones have become separate.
My heart is becoming soft like butter.
It is changing to milk inside me.

My mouth is dry, like a bit of broken pot.

My tongue is sticking to the roof of my mouth.
You laid me down in the dirt of death.

A lot of bad men have made a circle round me.

They are everywhere like dogs.
Sharp points are in my hands and feet.

I can count all my bones.

They look at me all the time.
They mock me.

They took my clothes.

They threw dice for my coat.

But LORD, do not stay far away!

You can make me strong, so hurry to give to me help!

Save my life from the sword.

Save everything that I love from the dogs.

Save me from the mouth of the lion.

You heard me from the horns of wild bulls.

4 ~ David Praises God)

I will tell your name to my brothers.

I will praise you in the congregation.

Everyone that is in awe of the LORD ... praise him!

All the seed of Jacob, honour him!

All the seed of Israel, worship him because:

God did not hate or forget the man that suffered
God did not hide his face from him
God heard him when he prayed

I will praise you in the great congregation.

I will keep my promises.
The people that are in awe of you will see it.

5 ~ The Congregation Thanks God)

The poor will eat. They will have plenty.

The people that look for the LORD will praise him.
Your heart will always be alive.

People everywhere will remember.

They will turn to the LORD.
Families from every country will worship you.

The LORD rules over every nation

because he is king.

All the rich people on earth will eat well.

They will worship God.
All that die will bend in front of him.
Nobody can keep himself alive.

Our children will become his servants.

They will tell their children about the LORD.

They will say that the Lord is righteous.

They will say this to people that are not yet born:
GOD HAS DONE IT!

 Psalm 23 (This is) a psalm of David.

The LORD is my shepherd.

I will not need anything.

He makes me lie down in green fields.

He leads me to waters where I can rest.

He gives me new life.

He is my guide to the right road.
He does this to (do what) his name (promises).

I will not be afraid when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

This is because you (LORD) are with me.
Your rod and staff make me feel brave.

You prepare a table in front of me when my enemies are present.

You put oil on my head.
My cup is so full that it overflows.

I am sure that good and loving and kind things will follow me.

They will follow me all the days of my life.
I will always live in the house of the LORD.

 Psalm 24 (This is) a psalm of David

The earth belongs to the LORD.

Everything in it is his own.
The world belongs to the LORD.
Everybody in it is his own.

The LORD built it on the seas.

He founded it on the waters.

Who can go up the hill of the LORD?

Who can stand in his holy place?

The person that has clean hands and a pure heart.

The person that does not worship idols.
The person that does not believe in lies.

The LORD will do good things to those people.

God will save them. He will say that they are right.

They are the people that are looking for God.

They want to see the face of (the God) of Jacob. SELAH

Lift up your heads you gates (of the city).

Lift up your very old doors.
Then the king of glory will come in.

Who is the king of glory?

The LORD that is strong and mighty.
The LORD that is powerful in war.

Lift up your heads you gates of the city.

Lift up its very old doors.
Then the king of glory will come in.

Who is the king of glory?

The LORD Almighty.
He is the king of glory! SELAH

 Psalm 25 (This is a psalm) of David

LORD, I lift myself up to you.

My God, I will trust in you.

Do not let me be ashamed.
Do not let my enemies triumph over me.

No! Do not let anyone that hopes in you be ashamed.

Let the people that say false things without a reason be ashamed.

LORD, show me your ways.

Teach me your paths.

Lead me in your truth.

Teach me, because you are the God that saves me.
I hope in you all the day long.

LORD, remember your love and your kindness.

They have always been, from long ago.

Do not remember my sins when I was young,

or the wrong things I did (when I was older).
LORD, remember your kindness to me,
because you are good.

The LORD is good and always right,

so he will teach sinners in the way.

He will lead the meek in judgment,

he will teach the meek his way.

All the ways of the LORD are kindness and truth

to the people that keep his covenant.

LORD, because of your name

forgive my sin, though it is great.

Who is the man that is afraid of the LORD?

The LORD will show him the way
that the LORD will choose for him.

He will have a good life.

His children will inherit the earth

(People like this) will be the friends of the LORD,

as long as they worship him.
The LORD will show them his covenant.

My eyes are always looking towards the LORD,

so that he can bring my feet out from the net.

Turn yourself to me and be kind to me,

because I am lonely and hurt.

The troubles in my life just get more and more.

Oh, take away from me the things that make me unhappy.

Look at my trouble and pain

and forgive all my sins.

Look at my enemies,

they keep getting more and more.
They hate me very much.

Protect my life and make me safe.

Do not let me be ashamed,
because I am hiding in you.

Protect my life because I am honest and good

and I hope in you.

God, give to Israel help in all its trouble.

 Psalm 26 (This is a psalm) of David

LORD, say that I always walk with you.

Say that I will never stop trusting in the LORD.

Examine me, LORD, and see what I am.

Look inside me, at my feelings and thoughts.

I will always walk in your good ways,

because I can see that you are loving and kind.

I do not sit with worthless men.

I will not go with people that say that they are good, but they are not.

I hate bad people that meet together.

I will not sit with godless men.

I will wash my hands to show that I have done nothing wrong.

I will stand near your altar, LORD.

I will say with a loud voice that you are great.

I will tell people about all the wonderful things that you have done.

LORD, I love the place where your house is.

It is the home of your glory.

Do not put my soul with sinners,

or my life with murderers.

In their hands are bad plans.

Their right hands are full of bribes.

But I will always walk with you.

Make me free and be kind to me.

My foot stands in a flat place.

In the congregation, I will say that the LORD is wonderful.

 Psalm 27 (This is) a psalm of David.

The LORD is my light and he makes me safe.

Who will make me afraid?
The LORD is my hiding place.
So, who will make me afraid?

Bad men came near me.

They wanted to eat my body.
But it was my enemies,
the people that fought me,
that tripped and fell.

If an army uses arms against me,

my heart will not be afraid.
Even if they fight against me,
I will be sure (of God's help).

I have asked the LORD for only one thing.

This is what I want:
I want to live in the LORD's house all the days of my life.
Then I will see that the LORD is beautiful.
I will look for him in his palace.

He will keep me safe in his house in the day of trouble.

He will hide me in the hiding place that is his tent.
He will lift me up on a rock.

He will raise up my head above my enemies all round me.

I will give him gifts in his tent.
I will sing and I will make music to the LORD.

LORD, hear my voice. I am praying.

Be kind to me and answer me.

My heart says, "Look for (God's) face".

I will look for your face, LORD.

Do not hide your face from me.

Do not be angry and turn away from your servant.
You gave me help (in the past).
Do not put me out and forget me (now).
You are my God and you make me safe.

If my father and my mother forget me,

the LORD will care for me.

LORD, teach me your way.

Lead me in a straight path, because of my enemies.

Do not give me to my enemies.

They will do what they like with me.
People are saying things that are not true about me.
Others are saying that they want to hurt me.

(What would happen) if I had not believed

to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living?

Wait for the LORD. Be strong.

Make your heart become brave.
Again, wait for the LORD.

 Psalm 28 (This is a psalm) of David

LORD, you are my rock. I am praying to you for help.

Do not turn your ears away from me.
If you hide your answer from me,
I will be as those people that go down into the pit.

Hear my voice when I pray for mercy.

I am asking you for help.
I am lifting up my hands towards your most holy place.

Do not drag me away with godless people,

or with people that have done very bad things.
They say kind words to their friends
but plan to do wrong things.

Give them what is fair for what they did

and for the bad things that they have done.
Pay them for the work of their hands
and bring back justice upon them.

(Do it) because they do not understand

the things that the LORD has done,
or the work of his hands.
He will tear them down,
he will not build them up again.

I say that the LORD does good things,

because he heard my voice when I prayed for mercy.

The LORD makes me strong. He is my shield.

My heart trusts in him and he gives me help.
Now my heart jumps for joy and I will thank him with my songs.

The LORD makes (his people) strong.

He is a safe and strong place for his Messiah.

Save your people and do good things for your inheritance.

Be the shepherd of (your people) and always lift them up.

 Psalm 29 (This is a psalm) of David.

Sons of God, say that the LORD is glorious.

Say that the LORD is powerful.

Say that the LORD has a glorious name.

Say all this to the LORD that is beautiful and holy.

The voice of the LORD is on the waters.

The glorious God is thundering.
The LORD is on the great waters.

The voice of the LORD is powerful.

The voice of the LORD is beautiful.

The voice of the LORD breaks the cedar trees.

The LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.

He makes Lebanon jump like a young cow

and Sirion like a young wild animal.

The voice of the LORD makes fire in the sky.

The voice of the LORD makes the desert move,

the LORD makes the desert of Kadesh move.

The voice of the LORD blows strongly on the trees

and he blows everything from the forest.
But in his temple, everyone says that he is glorious.

The LORD was king at the time of the Flood.

The LORD will always be king.

The LORD will make his people strong.

The LORD will give his people peace.

 Psalm 30 (This) psalm of David (is) a song for blessing the house.

LORD, I will praise you

because you have lifted me up (from Sheol).
You have not let my enemies laugh at me.

LORD, my God, I prayed to you for help,

and you gave me health.

LORD, you brought my soul up from Sheol.

You gave me life,
so that I am not with those that go down into the Pit.

Sing to the LORD all you that believe in him.

Praise his holy name.

His anger is for a moment,

but his grace will be for as long as you live.
You may cry all night,
but in the morning, you will sing for joy.

I said that I was safe for ever

because of what I had done.

But LORD, it was your grace that made me safe

and protected my mountain.
When you hid your face (from me), I became very sad.

I prayed to you LORD

and asked you, Lord, for mercy.

What value is there in destroying me in the Pit?

Will my dead body praise you?
Will it say that you keep your promises?

LORD, listen to me and give me mercy.

LORD, be the person that gives me help.

You have changed my crying into dancing.

You have taken away my sad clothes
and given me wonderful clothes.

So my heart will sing to you, nothing will stop it.

LORD, my God, I will always praise you.

 Psalm 31 (This is) for the music leader. (It is) a psalm of David

LORD, I am trusting in you.

Do not let me ever become ashamed.
Make me free, because you always do what is right.

Listen to me and send me help very soon.

LORD, be a rock for me to hide behind.
Make my house a fortress and keep me safe.

You really are my rock and my fortress.

Because of your name, lead me and be my guide.

You are my fortress.

Make me free from the trap that they hid for me.

I put my spirit into your hand.

Send me help, LORD God of truth.

I hate people that believe in false gods.

I am trusting in the LORD.

I am very happy because of your kind love.

It makes me want to dance.
You saw my trouble.
You knew that I was under stress.

You did not give me into the hands of my enemies.

You made my feet to stand in a wide place.

LORD, give me mercy because I am in trouble.

My eyes and my stomach and my whole body
are sick because I am sad.

My life must come to an end because I am so sad.

My years will finish while I am crying.
I am so unhappy that I have become weak.
My bones are weak.

All my enemies hate me.

People that live near me do not like me.
Even my friends are afraid of me.
People that see me in the street run away.

Everybody has forgotten me.

I am just like a broken pot.

I heard people say unkind things about me.

There is danger everywhere.
They are making bad plans for me.
They want to kill me.

But I am still trusting in you, LORD.

I am saying that you are my God.

My times are in your hand.

Save me from the hand of my enemies
and from the people that are trying to catch me.

Shine the light of your face on your servant.

Send help to me because of your kind love.

LORD, do not let me become ashamed.

I am shouting out to you for help.
Let the godless become ashamed.
Let them be silent in Sheol.

Let the lips that tell lies become silent.

They say unkind things about good people.
They think that they are better than them and they hate them.

You have prepared many good things

for those that are afraid of you.
You did this in front of everybody.
You did it for those that trust in you.

You will hide them from the bad plans that men make.

They will not hear the bad things that people say.
They will be in a secret place with you.

Bless the LORD.

He showed me his kind love when I was under stress.

I said too soon that you were not watching over me.

But you did hear my voice when I prayed to you for help.

Love the LORD, everyone that has enjoyed his kind love.

He will keep safe those that are always his servants,
but he will pay back those that are proud.

Everyone that hopes in the LORD:

be strong and be brave in your heart.

 Psalm 32 (This is) a maskil by David

A man is very happy when (God):

forgives his disobedience
covers his sin
does not put it against him when he does bad things
There is nothing false in his spirit

When I said nothing my bones became weak and I cried all day long.

In the day and in the night your hand was heavy on me.
I felt dried up as in the heat of summer. SELAH

(Then) I told you about my sin

and I did not hide the bad things that I had done.
I said, "I will show my disobedience to the LORD".
You forgave the bad things that I had done in my disobedience. SELAH

So let everyone that enjoys your kind love pray to you.

(Let them do it) while they can still find you.
Then the great floods of water will not come near to them.

You are my hiding place.

You will keep me safe from trouble.
Your songs will be all around me now that I am free. SELAH

I will tell you the way,

I will teach you where you must go.
My eye will be your guide.

Do not be like the horse, or the mule.

They do not understand.
They need special bits in their mouths to make them obey you.

Bad people will be very sad.

People that trust in the LORD
will find his kind love all round them.

So, all you good people that have clean hearts:

show everyone that the LORD has made you happy
praise him in words and in music

 Psalm 33

Shout to the LORD, everyone that is righteous.

Praise the LORD with a harp.

Make music for him with a lyre that has 10 strings.

Sing to him a new song.

Make beautiful music with a trumpet.

Do this because the LORD says what is right.

Everything that he does is good.

He loves all that is right and fair.

The world is full of his kind love.

The word of the LORD made the skies.

The breath of his mouth made the stars.

He put the waters of the sea together in a bottle.

He hid the deep seas in a safe place.

Let everyone that lives in the earth be afraid of the LORD.

Let all the people of the world fall down in front of him.

Do this because he spoke and it happened.

At his word, everything became fixed in its place.

Governments make plans, but the LORD checks them.

He does not let people do everything that they want to do.

The plans that the LORD makes will always happen.

His ideas will always be with us.

The people that have the LORD as their God will be very happy.

They are the people that he chose to be his own.

The LORD looks down from heaven.

He sees every man, woman and child.

from where he lives, he can see every person that lives on the earth.

He made every separate person.

He knows everything that they do.

A great army will not save a king.

A soldier does not win because he is strong.

A horse will not always give you help to win, even if it is very strong.

Look, the eye of the LORD is on the people that are afraid of him.

It is on the people that trust in his kind love.

He will save them from death and from famine.

We will trust in the LORD.

He will send us help, and he will be our shield.

We are singing happy songs for the LORD.

We are trusting in his holy name.

LORD, we want you to send to us your kind love.

LORD, we are trusting in you.

 Psalm 34 For David, when he made Abimelech think that he was crazy. Abimelech sent David away and he went.

I will always say good things about the LORD.

Every day my lips will sing psalms to him.

My soul will boast about the LORD.

Humble people will hear it. It will make them happy.

Let us all make people see that the LORD is great.

We will make his name famous together.

I prayed to the LORD and he answered me.

He saved me from everything that made me afraid.

(Humble people) looked to (the LORD) and were happy.

Their faces were not ashamed.

This humble man prayed and the LORD heard (him).

The (LORD) took him away from all his troubles.

The angel of the LORD made a camp.

He stayed in it, round the people that feared the LORD.
He took them away (from danger).

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good.

The man that trusts in him will be very happy.

Oh, fear the LORD all his saints.

People that fear him will need nothing.

Young lions may need (food) and become hungry.

People that pray to the LORD will not need any good (thing).

Children, come and listen to me.

I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Which one of you finds pleasure in life?

Who wants time to see good (things)?

Do not say anything evil,

or let your lips tell anything that is false.

Turn away from evil and do good (things).

Look for peace and follow it.

The LORD'S face is against the people that do evil.

Nobody in all the earth will remember them.

The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous

and his ears (listen) when they pray.

The LORD hears them when they cry for help.

He saves them from all their troubles.

The LORD is near when their hearts break.

He saves those whose spirits are very sad.

Many evil things happen to the righteous,

but the LORD saves (the righteous) from them all.

(The LORD) keeps all their bones safe.

Not one of them becomes broken.

Evil (things) will kill very bad people.

(The LORD) will punish the people that hate righteous (people).

The LORD will make his servants free

and not punish anyone that trusts him.

 Psalm 35 (This is) for David.

Lord, argue with those people that are arguing with me.

Fight against those people that are fighting against me.

Pick up a small shield and a big one.

Get up and give me help.

Pull out a small spear and a long one.

(Use them) against the people that are running after me.
Say to me. "I will make you safe".

Some people want to kill me.

I hope that they will become ashamed.
I hope that everyone else will think that they are very bad.
Some people are planning to destroy me.
Turn them back and confuse them.

Make them become like chaff in the wind.

Let the angel of the LORD send them away.

Make their way dark and dangerous.

Let the angel of the LORD be unkind to them.

(Do this) because they hid a trap for me.

There was no reason for it.
For no reason they dug a pit for me.

Surprise him and destroy him!

Catch him in the trap that he hid! Let him die in his own pit!

Then I will be pleased because of what the LORD has done.

I will be happy when the LORD has made me safe.

All my bones will shout, "LORD, who is like you?

You take the poor man away from the man that is too strong for him.
You take the people that need help away from those that hurt them".

People say that they saw me do bad things.

They asked me about it, but I knew nothing.

They paid me evil for the good things that I did.

I felt as if (my children) had died.

When they were ill I wore clothes made from sacks.

I hurt myself by not eating food.
My prayer came back to my own breast.

I cried when I walked about. I became bent because I was so sad.

I lived as though my friend or my brother or (even) my mother (was ill).

But when I fell down they laughed.

They all met together. They came together against me.
I did not know the people that were attacking me.
They would not stop hurting me.

They were like godless people and they mocked me more and more.

They showed their teeth (like a wild animal).

LORD, how long will you watch (this)?

Take me away from the people that are destroying me.
Save the thing that I love most from the lions.

I will thank you in the great meeting.

I will praise you when all the people are together.

Do not let my enemies laugh at me.

They hate me, but have no reason for it.
Do not let them wink at me with their eye.

They do not talk about peace.

They say false things to the people in the land that do not want trouble.

They open wide their mouth against me.

They say, "Aha! Aha! Our eyes saw it!"

LORD, you saw it (also).

Lord, do not remain silent. Do not stay far from me.

Wake up! Get up and give me justice!

Argue (for me against them), my Lord and my God.

LORD, you are righteous.

Give me justice, my God. Do not let them laugh at me.

Do not let them think in their heart, "Aha! (this is) what we wanted".

Do not let them say, "We have eaten him up!"

(Do this) to them that laughed at me when I became hurt:

make them ashamed and confused at the same time
make them sorry that they said that they were greater than me
make them feel that they are wearing disgrace like clothes

(Other) people will be very happy (when you say) that I am righteous.

They will shout out in their pleasure.
They will always say, "The LORD is great!
He loves it when his servant has peace!"

My mouth will say that you are righteous.

I will praise you all day long.

 Psalm 36 (This is) for the music leader. (He is) the servant of the LORD. (It is) for David.

The godless man does not obey (God).

This tells me that: he is not afraid of God
he does not see (that this matters)

he tells himself that (God) will not see the bad things (that he does)

(he thinks that God) will not hate these bad things

he says things that are bad and not true

he has stopped being honest
he does not do anything good

he makes bad plans on his bed (at night)

he decides not to do things in a good way
he does not turn away from doing wrong things

LORD, your kind love is (as high) as the skies.

Your truth reaches the clouds.

Your goodness is like strong mountains.

Your justice is like a deep sea.
LORD, you make men and animals safe.

God, your kind love has great value.

The children of men are safe under the shadow of your wings.

There is enough in your house to give them all that they need.

You give them all a drink of pleasure from your river,

because you have waters that give life.

In your light we will see light.

Go on giving your kind love to the people that know you.

Give your goodness to the people that have clean hearts.

Do not let people that walk proudly hurt me.

Do not let bad people make me run away.

The people that did bad things lay there, where they fell.

(Somebody) knocked them down and they cannot get up again.

 Psalm 37 (This psalm is) for David.

Psalm 37: 1 - 11 ~ How to wait

Do not make yourself angry because of what evil people do.

Do not feel that you want to be like them.

They are always doing wrong things.

They are like grass that will soon become dry.

They will die just as green plants do.

Trust in the LORD and do good things.

Live in the land and you will be safe.
You will enjoy what it gives to you.

Be happy with the LORD.

He will give to you what you most want.

Promise that you will give yourself to the LORD.

Trust in him and he will do (all this).

You are righteous. That will shine out like the dawn.

You are a fair person. That will be like the sun at midday.

Remain still in front of the LORD.

Wait for him (to do something).
Do not make yourself angry because other people are doing well,
or because they are making bad plans.

Stop being angry (with God) and do not get heated inside.

Do not make yourself angry, it only brings trouble.

Evil people will become cut off,

but people that wait for the LORD will inherit the land.

Soon the godless man will be gone.

If you look for his place, you will not find him.

The meek will inherit the land.

They will enjoy wonderful peace.

Psalm 37: 12 - 20 ~ The end of godless people

A godless person makes bad plans against a righteous one.

(The godless person) shows his teeth to him.

The LORD laughs at (the godless person),

because he can see that his day will come.

Godless people get out their swords and point their bows:

to make poor and helpless people fall
to kill people that walk on the right road

But their swords will go into their own hearts.

Their bows will become broken.

Righteous people may have little (power),

but that is better than the noise all the godless people make.

The LORD will keep righteous people safe,

but will destroy the power of bad people.

The LORD knows the days of blameless people,

but their inheritance will last for ever.

They will not be disappointed in a bad time.

In days of famine, they will have enough.

But godless people will die.

They are enemies of the LORD.
You will not see them.
Like something beautiful, or like smoke, they will disappear.

Psalm 37: 21 - 31 ~ God will help righteous people

When people lend something to a godless man, he does not give it back.

Righteous people are kind and give things away.

The people that (God) says good things about will inherit the land.

The people that he curses he will destroy.

If the LORD likes the way that a man is going,

he will give him help.

Even if (that man) trips over, he will not fall.

The hand of the LORD will hold him up.

I was young and now I am old.

Yet I have not seen the righteous man forgotten (by God).
(I have not seen) his children asking people for food.

He is always kind. He lends (things to people).

(People) say good things to his children.

Turn away from evil and do good (things).

Then you will live for ever!

Because the LORD loves justice, he will not forget his saints.

He will care for them for ever,
but he will destroy the children of the godless.

Righteous people will inherit the land.

They will always live there.

The righteous man says good things,

he talks about justice.

The rules of God are in his heart.

His feet do not trip over.

Psalm 37: 32 - 40 ~ What happens to Righteous People

The godless man watches the righteous man.

He wants to kill him.

The LORD will not let him remain in his hand.

He will not say that he is wrong
when people are saying that he is wrong.

Stay with the LORD. Do things his way.

He will give you help. The land will be yours.
You will see when godless people become cut off.

I have seen the godless man with great power.

He was a tree growing in the best place (for it).

But he died. He did not remain alive.

I looked for him but I did not find him.

Think about the blameless man.

Look at the man that is good.
He will have peace in the end.

But (God) will destroy people that do not obey him.

In the end (God) will cut off godless people.

The LORD will make righteous people safe.

He will give them help in time of trouble.

The LORD gives them help and makes them safe.

He makes them safe from the godless.
He makes them safe because they trust in him.

 Psalm 38 (This is) a psalm of David. (He wrote it so that you, LORD) will remember him.

LORD, do not tell me about my mistakes

when you are not pleased (with me).
Do not punish me because you are so angry (with me).

For your arrows have gone deep into me

and your hand has come down on me.

My body is very ill because you are so angry

and there is no health in my bones because of my sin.

Also, my sin has gone over my head!

Like a heavy weight, it is too heavy for me (to carry).

My wounds are going bad, they are making a bad smell.

(This is) because I was so stupid.

My sins have bent me down, I am very near to the ground.

Every day I walk about in black (clothes).

Also, there is a terrible pain in my stomach.

There is nothing good in my body.

I am very weak. Everything is pushing down on me.

I am making a noise (like a wild animal) because my heart is so sad.

Lord, you know everything that I want.

Nothing can hide me from you when I cry.

My heart is beating fast and my strength is failing me.

There is no light in my eyes.

My family and my friends stay away from my wounds.

The people that live near me stay far from me.

Also, the people that are trying to kill me set traps for me.

Those people that want bad things (to happen to me)
are planning to destroy me.
They only think about (their) lies all day long.

But I am like a deaf man. I hear nothing.

Also, I am like a dumb man. I do not open my mouth.

So, I have become like someone that hears but does not answer.

O LORD, I have waited for you!

(I believe) that you will answer (me), O Lord my God.

I say this so that my enemies will not laugh at me.

When my foot slips, they stand up against me.

For I am ready to fall and my pain is always with me.

But I will say that I have done bad things.

My sin is always a trouble to me.

Many people hate me for no reason.

A lot of people are saying lies about me.

Some people repay evil for good.

They fight me when I try to do what is good.

Do not leave me, O LORD.

O God, do not go far away from me.

Hurry to give me help, O Lord my Salvation.

 Psalm 39 (This is) a psalm of David. It is for Jeduthun, the leader of the music.

I said, I will be careful what I do so that I do not sin.

I will be careful what...

I say.

I will shut my mouth when the godless are near me.

I will be like a dumb man and not speak.

I will not even talk about good things.
But it hurt me to do this and the pain in my heart grew worse.
It was like a fire inside me when I thought about it.
I just had to say something!

O LORD, tell me about my life,

how long it will be and when it will finish.
Then I will know how weak I am.

Look, you have made my life just as wide as my hand!

The length of my life is as nothing to you.
It is true that the life of everybody is like the wind. SELAH

People walk about just like shadows.

They are like the wind.
They get a lot of money,
but they do not know who will have it when they die.

v8 Now, what do I hope for, O Lord?

I am hoping for you to save me from all the bad things that I do!
Do not put me where fools will laugh at me.

I will not say anything.

I will not open my mouth, because you have done something!

Do not hit me again.

Your hand is hurting and destroying me.

You speak angrily to people about sin and you punish them.

You make all that is pleasant in them fly away like a moth!
It is true that everyone is like the wind. SELAH

O LORD, hear my prayer.

Listen to me when I cry. Do not be dumb to my tears.
I am an alien to you. I am a stranger, like all my fathers were.

Look away from me.

Then I will be happy until I live no more and die.

 Psalm 40 (This is) for the music leader. (It is) a psalm of David.

I was patient while I waited for the LORD.

He turned to me and he heard me when I prayed for help.

He lifted me out of the pit where (bad people) were destroying me

and from very wet ground.
He put my feet on a rock and made me walk without falling.

He gave me a new song to sing.

It was a hymn of praise to God.
Many people will see what happened and be afraid.
Then they will trust in the LORD.

The man that trusts in the LORD will be very happy.

He does not listen to proud people that turn to false gods.

LORD, my God, you have done many wonderful things.

Nobody can tell you about your plans for us.
If I say that I will talk about them,
there would be too many to speak about!

You did not want a sacrifice and an offering.

You have made a hole in my ears.
You did not ask for a burnt offering and a sin offering.

Then I said, "Here I am.

In this book someone wrote about me".

I am pleased to do what you want me to do, my God,

and your rules are in my heart.

I talk about the good news of (how to become) righteous to everybody.

Look, LORD, I never keep my mouth shut, as you know!

I do not keep the righteous things that you do to myself.

I do not hide (from people) that they can trust in you.
I tell everyone that your kind love will save them.
Also, I (show them) the truth.

You, LORD, will not keep your mercy from me.

Your kind love and your truth will always protect me.

But trouble is all round me.

I cannot see how much there is.
My sins have followed me and caught me.
I cannot see anything.

LORD, please save me!

LORD, hurry to give me help!

There are people that want to kill me.

I hope that they will become ashamed and confused.
There are people that want to destroy me.
I hope that everyone will say that they are bad people.

I want all those people that say to me "Aha! Aha!"

to become very sorry for what they have done.

I want everyone that is looking for you to be happy, very happy.

I want everyone that loves it when you save them to say,
"Praise the LORD".

But I am poor and I need help. Lord, you think about me.

You are my help and you save me.
O God, do not be a long time!

 Psalm 41 (This is) for the (music) leader. (It is) a psalm for David.

Anyone that is kind to the poor will be very happy.

The LORD will help him when life is difficult.

The LORD will make him safe and keep him alive.

He will be happy where he lives.
(The LORD) will not give him to his enemies (for them)
to do what they want to do (with him).

The LORD will be like a nurse to him when he is ill in bed.

Every time that he is ill, you will make him well again.

I said, "LORD, have mercy on me.

Heal me, even though I have broken your rules".

My enemies say bad things about me.

(They say) "When will he die?
When will people forget his name?"

And if one (of them) comes to see me, he tells lies.

He fills his mind with bad things to say about me.
Then he goes out and tells (everyone).

All the people that hate me whisper to each other about me.

They hope that worse things will happen to me.

(They say that) "someone put a death-wish on him,

so he will never get up from his bed".

Even my best friend has lifted up his heel against me.

He was someone that I trusted,
someone that I often ate food with (in my home).

But you, LORD, have mercy on me.

Raise me up so that I can repay them.

I know that you are pleased with me

because my enemy does not shout over me (that he has won).

You will help me because I am honest.

You will always keep me near to you.

Say good things about the LORD.

He always was the God of Israel and he always will be!
Amen and amen!

 Psalm 42:1-5 (This is) for the music leader.(It is) a maskil for the sons of Korah.

My soul cries out for you, (my) God,

like a hart crying out for streams of water.

My soul is thirsty for God, the God that is alive.

When can I come and see the face of God?

(All) day and (all) night I cry and do not eat.

All day (my enemies) say to me, "Where is your God?"

My soul cries inside me when I remember that:

· I went with a crowd (to worship you)
· I went to the house of God
· there was the sound of singing
· there was a loud noise of people thanking (you) and dancing.

My soul, why are you so sad?

Why are you so restless inside me?
Hope in God because I will praise him again!
When God is with me, he will do great things (for me).

Psalm 42:6-11

My soul is sad inside me.

So I will remember you (my God) from:
· the land of (the) Jordan (river)
· (the mountains) of Hermon
· the hill of Mizar.

The deep (waters) make a noise when your waterfalls thunder.

All your big waves and all your little waves roll over me.

In the day time the LORD sends to me his kind love.

At night his song is with me.
My prayer is to the God of my life.

I will say to the God (that is) my Rock,

"Why did you forget me? Why must I be so sad?
You let my enemy do what he likes to me!"

My enemies hurt all my bones.

The people that fight me are always saying, "Where is your God?"

My soul, why are you so sad?

Why are you so restless inside me?
Hope in God, because I will praise him again!
When God is with me, he will do great things (for me).

 Psalm 43

(My) God, say that I am right.

Tell it to the people that do not love (me).
Rescue me from the man that tells lies and does bad things.

(This is) because you are my refuge, God.

Why are you always so unkind to me?
Why must I continue to be so sad?
You let my enemy do what he likes to me!

Send out your light and your truth.

Let them be my guide.
They will bring me to your holy mountain
and to the house where you live.

Then I will come to the altar of God,

the God that makes me happy.
I will praise you with a harp, God, my God.

My soul, why are you so sad?

Why are you so restless inside me?
Hope in God, because I will praise him again!
When God is with me, he will do great things for me.

 Psalm 44 (This is) a maskil. (It is) for the music leader of the sons of Korah.

God, we have heard it for ourselves.