fraud;
mischief and evil are under his tongue.
8He lurks in outlying places;
from a covert he slays the innocent;
his eyes spy out the hapless.
9He waits in a covert like a lion in his lair;
waits to seize the lowly;
he seizes the lowly as he pulls his net shut;
10he stoops, he crouches,
b-and the hapless fall prey to his might.-b
11He thinks, “God is not mindful,
He hides His face, He never looks.”
12Rise, O LORD!
d-Strike at him,-d O God!
Do not forget the lowly.
13Why should the wicked man scorn God,
thinking You do not call to account?
14You do look!
You take note of mischief and vexation!
b-To requite is in Your power.-b
To You the hapless can entrust himself;
You have ever been the orphan’s help.
15O break the power of the wicked and evil man,
so that when You e-look for-e his wickedness
You will find it no more.
16The LORD is king for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from His land.
17You will listen to the entreaty of the lowly, O LORD,
You will make their hearts firm;
You will incline Your ear
18to champion the orphan and the downtrodden,
b-that men who are of the earth tyrannize no more.-b
11 For the leader. Of David.
In the LORD I take refuge;
how can you say to me,
“Take to a-the hills like a bird! -a
2For see, the wicked bend the bow,
they set their arrow on the string
to shoot from the shadows at the upright.
3b-When the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous man do?”-b
4The LORD is in His holy palace;
the LORD—His throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold, His gaze searches mankind.
5The LORD seeks out the righteous man,
but loathes the wicked one who loves injustice.
6He will rain down upon the wicked blazing coals and sulfur;
a scorching wind shall be c-their lot.-c
7For the LORD is righteous;
He loves righteous deeds;
the upright shall behold His face.
12 For the leader; on the sheminith. A psalm of David.
2Help, O LORD!
For the faithful are no more;
the loyal have vanished from among men.
3Men speak lies to one another;
their speech is smooth;
they talk with duplicity.
4May the LORD cut off all flattering lips,
every tongue that speaks arrogance.
5They say, “By our tongues we shall prevail;
with lips such as ours, who can be our master?”
6“Because of the groans of the plundered poor and needy, I will now act,” says the LORD.
a-“I will give help,” He affirms to him.-a
7The words of the LORD are pure words,
silver purged in an earthen crucible,
refined sevenfold.
8You, O LORD, will keep them,
guarding each a-from this age-a evermore.
9On every side the wicked roam
a-when baseness is exalted among men.-a
13 For the leader. A psalm of David.
2How long, O LORD; will You ignore me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
3How long will I have cares on my mind,
grief in my heart all day?
How long will my enemy have the upper hand?
4Look at me, answer me, O LORD, my God!
Restore the luster to my eyes,
lest I sleep the sleep of death;
5lest my enemy say, “I have overcome him,”
my foes exult when I totter.
6But I trust in Your faithfulness,
my heart will exult in Your deliverance.
I will sing to the LORD,
for He has been good to me.
14 aFor the leader. Of David.
The benighted man thinks,
b-“God does not care.”-b
Man’s deeds are corrupt and loathsome;
no one does good.
2The LORD looks down from heaven on mankind
to find a man of understanding,
a man mindful of God.
3All have turned bad,
altogether foul;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
4Are they so witless, all those evildoers,
who devour my people as they devour food,
and do not invoke the LORD?
5There they will be seized with fright,
for God is present in the circle of the righteous.
6You may set at naught the counsel of the lowly,
but the LORD is his refuge.
7O that the deliverance of Israel might come from Zion!
When the LORD restores the fortunes of His people,
Jacob will exult, Israel will rejoice.
15 A psalm of David.
LORD, who may sojourn in Your tent,
who may dwell on Your holy mountain?
2He who lives without blame,
who does what is right,
and in his heart acknowledges the truth;
3 a-whose tongue is not given to evil;-a
who has never done harm to his fellow,
or borne reproach for [his acts toward] his neighbor;
4for whom a contemptible man is abhorrent,
but who honors those who fear the LORD;
who stands by his oath even to his hurt;
5who has never lent money at interest,
or accepted a bribe against the innocent.
The man who acts thus shall never be shaken.
16 A michtama of David.
Protect me, O God, for I seek refuge in You.
2I say to the LORD,
“You are my Lord, b-my benefactor;
there is none above You.”-b
3 c-As to the holy and mighty ones that are in the land,
my whole desire concerning them is that
4those who espouse another [god]
may have many sorrows!-c
I will have no part of their bloody libations;
their names will not pass my lips.
5The LORD is my allotted share and portion;d
You control my fate.
6Delightful country has fallen to my lot;
lovely indeed is my estate.
7I bless the LORD who has guided me;
my consciencee admonishes me at night.
8I am ever mindful of the LORD’s presence;
He is at my right hand; I shall never be shaken.
9So my heart rejoices,
my whole being exults,
and my body rests secure.
10For You will not abandon me to Sheol,
or let Your faithful one see the Pit.
11You will teach me the path of life.
In Your presence is perfect joy;
delights are ever in Your right hand.
17 A prayer of David.
Hear, O LORD, what is just;
heed my cry, give ear to my prayer,
uttered without guile.
2My vindication will come from You;
Your eyes will behold what is right.
3You have visited me at night, probed my mind,
You have tested me and found nothing amiss;
a-I determined that my mouth should not transgress.
4As for man’s dealings,
in accord with the command of Your lips,-a
I have kept in view the fateb of the lawless.
5My feet have held to Your paths;
my legs have not given way.
6I call on You;
You will answer me, God;
turn Your ear to me,
hear what I say.
7Display Your faithfulness in wondrous deeds,
You who deliver with Your right hand
those who seek refuge from assailants.
8Guard me like the apple of Your eye;
hide me in the shadow of Your wings
9from the wicked who despoil me,
c-my mortal enemies who-c encircle me.
10 a-Their hearts are closed to pity;-a
they mouth arrogance;
11now they hem in our feet on every side;
they set their eyes roaming over the land.
12He is like a lion eager for prey,
a king of beasts lying in wait.
13Rise, O LORD! Go forth to meet him.
Bring him down;
rescue me from the wicked with Your sword,
14a-from men, O LORD, with Your hand,
from men whose share in life is fleeting.
But as to Your treasured ones,
fill their bellies.-a
Their sons too shall be satisfied,
and have something to leave over for their young.
15Then I, justified, will behold Your face;
awake, I am filled with the vision of You.
18 aFor the leader. Of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD after the LORD had saved him from the hands of all his enemies and from the clutches of Saul.
2He said:
b-I adore you, O LORD, my strength,-b
3O LORD, my crag, my fortress, my rescuer,
my God, my rock in whom I seek refuge,
my shield, my c-mighty champion,-c my haven.
4 d-All praise! I called on the LORD-d
and was delivered from my enemies.
5Ropese of Death encompassed me;
torrents of Belialf terrified me;
6ropes of Sheol encircled me;
snares of Death confronted me.
7In my distress I called on the LORD,
cried out to my God;
in His temple He heard my voice;
my cry to Him reached His ears.
8Then the earth rocked and quaked;
the foundations of the mountains shook,
rocked by His indignation;
9smoke went up from His nostrils,
from His mouth came devouring fire;
live coals blazed forth from Him.
10He bent the sky and came down,
thick cloud beneath His feet.
11He mounted a cherub and flew,
gliding on the wings of the wind.
12He made darkness His screen;
dark thunderheads, dense clouds of the sky
were His pavilion round about Him.
13Out of the brilliance before Him,
hail and fiery coals g-pierced His clouds.-g
14Then the LORD thundered from heaven,
the Most High gave forth His voice—
h-hail and fiery coals.-h
15He let fly His shafts and scattered them;
He discharged lightning and routed them.
16The ocean bed was exposed;
the foundations of the world were laid bare
by Your mighty roaring, O LORD,
at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.
17He reached down from on high, He took me;
He drew me out of the mighty waters;
18He saved me from my fierce enemy,
from foes too strong for me.
19They confronted me on the day of my calamity,
but the LORD was my support.
20He brought me out to freedom;
He rescued me because He was pleased with me.
21The LORD rewarded me according to my merit;
He requited the cleanness of my hands;
22for I have kept to the ways of the LORD,
and have not been guilty before my God;
23for I am mindful of all His rules;
I have not disregarded His laws.
24I have been blameless toward Him,
and have guarded myself against sinning;
25and the LORD has requited me according to my merit,
the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
26With the loyal, You deal loyally;
with the blameless man, blamelessly.
27With the pure, You act purely,
and with the perverse, You are wily.
28It is You who deliver lowly folk,
but haughty eyes You humble.
29It is You who light my lamp;
the LORD, my God, lights up my darkness.
30With You, I can rush a barrier;i
with my God I can scale a wall;
31the way of God is perfect;
the word of the LORD is pure;
He is a shield to all who seek refuge in Him.
32Truly, who is a god except the LORD,
who is a rock but our God?—
33the God who girded me with might,
who made my way perfect;
34who made my legs like a deer’s,
and let me stand firm on thej heights;
35who trained my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36You have given me the shield of Your protection;
Your right hand has sustained