Psalms 16–20 — The Heavens Declare

¹Preserve me, God, for I take refuge in you.

²My soul, you have said to the LORD, “You are my Lord. Apart from you I have no good thing.”

³As for the saints who are on the earth, they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.

⁴Their sorrows shall be multiplied who give gifts to another god. Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, nor take their names on my lips.

⁵The LORD assigned my portion and my cup. You made my lot secure.

⁶The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, I have a good inheritance.

⁷I will bless the LORD, who has given me counsel. Yes, my heart instructs me in the night seasons.

⁸I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

⁹Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices. My body shall also dwell in safety.

¹⁰For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption.

¹¹You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand there are pleasures forever more.

¹Hear, LORD, my righteous plea. Give ear to my prayer that doesn’t go out of deceitful lips.

²Let my sentence come out of your presence. Let your eyes look on equity.

³You have proved my heart. You have visited me in the night. You have tried me, and found nothing. I have resolved that my mouth shall not disobey.

⁴As for the deeds of men, by the word of your lips, I have kept myself from the ways of the violent.

⁵My steps have held fast to your paths. My feet have not slipped.

⁶I have called on you, for you will answer me, God. Turn your ear to me. Hear my speech.

⁷Show your marvelous loving kindness, you who save those who take refuge by your right hand from their enemies.

⁸Keep me as the apple of your eye. Hide me under the shadow of your wings,

⁹from the wicked who oppress me, my deadly enemies, who surround me.

¹⁰They close up their callous hearts. With their mouth they speak proudly.

¹¹They have now surrounded us in our steps. They set their eyes to cast us down to the earth.

¹²He is like a lion that is greedy of his prey, as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.

¹³Arise, LORD, confront him. Cast him down. Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,

¹⁴from men by your hand, LORD, from men of the world, whose portion is in this life. You fill the belly of your cherished ones. Your sons have plenty, and they store up wealth for their children.

¹⁵As for me, I shall see your face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with seeing your form.

¹I love you, LORD, my strength.

²The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.

³I call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; and I am saved from my enemies.

⁴The cords of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

⁵The cords of Sheol were around me. The snares of death came on me.

⁶In my distress I called on the LORD, and cried to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple. My cry before him came into his ears.

⁷Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken, because he was angry.

⁸Smoke went out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. Coals were kindled by it.

⁹He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet.

¹⁰He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.

¹¹He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion around him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

¹²At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.

¹³The LORD also thundered in the sky. The Most High uttered his voice: hailstones and coals of fire.

¹⁴He sent out his arrows, and scattered them. He routed them with great lightning bolts.

¹⁵Then the channels of waters appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

¹⁶He sent from on high. He took me. He drew me out of many waters.

¹⁷He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.

¹⁸They came on me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.

¹⁹He brought me out also into a large place. He delivered me, because he delighted in me.

²⁰The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands, he has recompensed me.

²¹For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

²²For all his ordinances were before me. I didn’t put away his statutes from me.

²³I was also blameless with him. I kept myself from my iniquity.

²⁴Therefore the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

²⁵With the merciful you will show yourself merciful. With the perfect man, you will show yourself perfect.

²⁶With the pure, you will show yourself pure. With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.

²⁷For you will save the afflicted people, but the arrogant eyes you will bring down.

²⁸For you will light my lamp, LORD. My God will light up my darkness.

²⁹For by you, I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall.

³⁰As for God, his way is perfect. The LORD’s word is tried. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.

³¹For who is God, except the LORD? Who is a rock, besides our God,

³²the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect?

³³He makes my feet like deer’s feet, and sets me on my high places.

³⁴He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.

³⁵You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand sustains me. Your gentleness has made me great.

³⁶You have enlarged my steps under me, My feet have not slipped.

³⁷I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them. I won’t turn away until they are consumed.

³⁸I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise. They shall fall under my feet.

³⁹For you have armed me with strength to the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

⁴⁰You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.

⁴¹They cried, but there was no one to save; even to the LORD, but he didn’t answer them.

⁴²Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind. I cast them out as the mire of the streets.

⁴³You have delivered me from the strivings of the people. You have made me the head of the nations. A people whom I have not known shall serve me.

⁴⁴As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me. The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.

⁴⁵The foreigners shall fade away, and shall come trembling out of their strongholds.

⁴⁶The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock. Exalted be the God of my salvation,

⁴⁷even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples under me.

⁴⁸He rescues me from my enemies. Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me. You deliver me from the violent man.

⁴⁹Therefore I will give thanks to you, LORD, among the nations, and will sing praises to your name.

⁵⁰He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his offspring, forever more.

¹The heavens declare the glory of God. The expanse shows his handiwork.

²Day after day they pour out speech, and night after night they display knowledge.

³There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.

⁴Their voice has gone out through all the earth, their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,

⁵which is as a bridegroom coming out of his room, like a strong man rejoicing to run his course.

⁶His going out is from the end of the heavens, his circuit to its ends. There is nothing hidden from its heat.

⁷The LORD’s law is perfect, restoring the soul. The LORD’s covenant is sure, making wise the simple.

⁸The LORD’s precepts are right, rejoicing the heart. The LORD’s commandment is pure, enlightening the eyes.

⁹The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever. The LORD’s ordinances are true, and righteous altogether.

¹⁰They are more to be desired than gold, yes, than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and the extract of the honeycomb.

¹¹Moreover your servant is warned by them. In keeping them there is great reward.

¹²Who can discern his errors? Forgive me from hidden errors.

¹³Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins. Let them not have dominion over me. Then I will be upright. I will be blameless and innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, LORD, my rock, and my redeemer.

¹May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble. May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high,

²send you help from the sanctuary, grant you support from Zion,

³remember all your offerings, and accept your burned sacrifice. Selah.

⁴May he grant you your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your counsel.

⁵We will triumph in your salvation. In the name of our God, we will set up our banners. May the LORD grant all your requests.

⁶Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed. He will answer him from his holy heaven, with the saving strength of his right hand.

⁷Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

⁸They are bowed down and fallen, but we rise up, and stand upright.

⁹Save, LORD! Let the King answer us when we call!