Psalms 61–65 — Lead Me to the Rock

¹Hear my cry, God. Listen to my prayer.

²From the end of the earth, I will call to you when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

³For you have been a refuge for me, a strong tower from the enemy.

⁴I will dwell in your tent forever. I will take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Selah.

⁵For you, God, have heard my vows. You have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

⁶You will prolong the king’s life. His years will be for generations.

⁷He shall be enthroned in God’s presence forever. Appoint your loving kindness and truth, that they may preserve him.

⁸So I will sing praise to your name forever, that I may fulfill my vows daily.

¹My soul rests in God alone. My salvation is from him.

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

³How long will you assault a man? Would all of you throw him down, like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?

⁴They fully intend to throw him down from his lofty place. They delight in lies. They bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.

⁵My soul, wait in silence for God alone, for my expectation is from him.

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

⁷My salvation and my honor is with God. The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

⁸Trust in him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us. Selah.

⁹Surely men of low degree are just a breath, and men of high degree are a lie. In the balances they will go up. They are together lighter than a breath.

¹⁰Don’t trust in oppression. Don’t become vain in robbery. If riches increase, don’t set your heart on them.

¹¹God has spoken once; twice I have heard this, that power belongs to God.

¹²Also to you, Lord, belongs loving kindness, for you reward every man according to his work.

¹God, you are my God. I will earnestly seek you. My soul thirsts for you. My flesh longs for you, in a dry and weary land, where there is no water.

²So I have seen you in the sanctuary, watching your power and your glory.

³Because your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise you.

⁴So I will bless you while I live. I will lift up my hands in your name.

⁵My soul shall be satisfied as with the richest food. My mouth shall praise you with joyful lips,

⁶when I remember you on my bed, and think about you in the night watches.

⁷For you have been my help. I will rejoice in the shadow of your wings.

⁸My soul stays close to you. Your right hand holds me up.

⁹But those who seek my soul to destroy it shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

¹⁰They shall be given over to the power of the sword. They shall be jackal food.

¹¹But the king shall rejoice in God. Everyone who swears by him will praise him, for the mouth of those who speak lies shall be silenced.

¹Hear my voice, God, in my complaint. Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

²Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from the noisy crowd of the ones doing evil;

³who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and aim their arrows, deadly words,

⁴to shoot innocent men from ambushes. They shoot at him suddenly and fearlessly.

⁵They encourage themselves in evil plans. They talk about laying snares secretly. They say, “Who will see them?”

⁶They plot injustice, saying, “We have made a perfect plan!” Surely man’s mind and heart are cunning.

⁷But God will shoot at them. They will be suddenly struck down with an arrow.

⁸Their own tongues shall ruin them. All who see them will shake their heads.

⁹All mankind shall be afraid. They shall declare the work of God, and shall wisely ponder what he has done.

¹⁰The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall take refuge in him. All the upright in heart shall praise him!

¹Praise waits for you, God, in Zion. Vows shall be performed to you.

²You who hear prayer, all men will come to you.

³Sins overwhelmed me, but you atoned for our transgressions.

⁴Blessed is the one whom you choose and cause to come near, that he may live in your courts. We will be filled with the goodness of your house, your holy temple.

⁵By awesome deeds of righteousness, you answer us, God of our salvation. You who are the hope of all the ends of the earth, of those who are far away on the sea.

⁶By your power, you form the mountains, having armed yourself with strength.

⁷You still the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations.

⁸They also who dwell in faraway places are afraid at your wonders. You call the morning’s dawn and the evening with songs of joy.

⁹You visit the earth, and water it. You greatly enrich it. The river of God is full of water. You provide them grain, for so you have ordained it.

¹⁰You drench its furrows. You level its ridges. You soften it with showers. You bless it with a crop.

¹¹You crown the year with your bounty. Your carts overflow with abundance.

¹²The wilderness grasslands overflow. The hills are clothed with gladness.

¹³The pastures are covered with flocks. The valleys also are clothed with grain. They shout for joy! They also sing.