Day 5 Psalms 53 — 65

Day 6 Psalms 66 — 78

previous readings

 

Psalms 53

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1 The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none that does good. 2 God looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any that are wise, that seek after God. 3 They have all fallen away; they are all alike depraved; there is none that does good, no, not one. 4 Have those who work evil no understanding, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God? 5 There they are, in great terror, in terror such as has not been! For God will scatter the bones of the ungodly; they will be put to shame, for God has rejected them. 6 O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice and Israel be glad. ————————————————————————

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Psalms 54

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To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, "David is in hiding among us." 1 Save me, O God, by thy name, and vindicate me by thy might. 2 Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. 3 For insolent men have risen against me, ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before them. [Selah] 4 Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life. 5 He will requite my enemies with evil; in thy faithfulness put an end to them. 6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to thee; I will give thanks to thy name, O LORD, for it is good. 7 For thou hast delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies. ————————————————————————

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Psalms 55

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To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.

1 Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication! 2 Attend to me, and answer me; I am overcome by my trouble. I am distraught 3 by the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they bring trouble upon me, and in anger they cherish enmity against me. 4 My heart is in anguish within me, the terrors of death have fallen upon me. 5 Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. 6 And I say, "O that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; 7 yea, I would wander afar, I would lodge in the wilderness, [Selah] 8 I would haste to find me a shelter from the raging wind and tempest." 9 Destroy their plans, O Lord, confuse their tongues; for I see violence and strife in the city.  10 Day and night they go around it on its walls; and mischief and trouble are within it, 11 ruin is in its midst; oppression and fraud do not depart from its market place. 12 It is not an enemy who taunts me — then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me — then I could hide from him. 13 But it is you, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend. 14 We used to hold sweet converse together; within God’s house we walked in fellowship. 15 Let death come upon them; let them go down to Sheol alive; let them go away in terror into their graves. 16 But I call upon God; and the LORD will save me. 17 Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he will hear my voice. 18 He will deliver my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me. 19 God will give ear, and humble them, he who is enthroned from of old; because they keep no law, and do not fear God. [Selah] 20 My companion stretched out his hand against his friends, he violated his covenant. 21 His speech was smoother than butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords. 22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. 23 But thou, O God, wilt cast them down into the lowest pit; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in thee. ————————————————————————

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Psalms 56

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To the choirmaster: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. A Miktam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

1 Be gracious to me, O God, for men trample upon me; all day long foemen oppress me; 2 my enemies trample upon me all day long, for many fight against me proudly. 3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in thee. 4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust without a fear. What can flesh do to me? 5 All day long they seek to injure my cause; all their thoughts are against me for evil. 6 They band themselves together, they lurk, they watch my steps. As they have waited for my life, 7 so recompense them for their crime; in wrath cast down the peoples, O God! 8 Thou hast kept count of my tossings; put thou my tears in thy bottle! Are they not in thy book? 9 Then my enemies will be turned back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me. 10 In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise, 11 in God I trust without a fear. What can man do to me? 12 My vows to thee I must perform, O God; I will render thank offerings to thee. 13 For thou hast delivered my soul from death, yea, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. ————————————————————————

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Psalms 57

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To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.

1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in thee my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of thy wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. 2 I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfils his purpose for me. 3 He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to shame those who trample upon me. [Selah] God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness! 4 I lie in the midst of lions that greedily devour the sons of men; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords. 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let thy glory be over all the earth! 6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves. [Selah] 7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! 8 Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! 9 I will give thanks to thee, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to thee among the nations. 10 For thy steadfast love is great to the heavens, thy faithfulness to the clouds. 11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let thy glory be over all the earth! ————————————————————————

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Psalms 58

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To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David.

1 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? Do you judge the sons of men uprightly? 2 Nay, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth. 3 The wicked go astray from the womb, they err from their birth, speaking lies. 4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear, 5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers or of the cunning enchanter. 6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD! 7 Let them vanish like water that runs away; like grass let them be trodden down and wither. 8 Let them be like the snail which dissolves into slime, like the untimely birth that never sees the sun. 9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns, whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away! 10 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked. 11 Men will say, "Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth." ————————————————————————

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Psalms 59

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To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.

1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God, protect me from those who rise up against me, 2 deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men. 3 For, lo, they lie in wait for my life; fierce men band themselves against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD, 4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Rouse thyself, come to my help, and see! 5 Thou, LORD God of hosts, art God of Israel. Awake to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. [Selah] 6 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. 7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths, and snarling with their lips — for "Who," they think, "will hear us?" 8 But thou, O LORD, dost laugh at them; thou dost hold all the nations in derision. 9 O my Strength, I will sing praises to thee; for thou, O God, art my fortress. 10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me; my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies. 11 Slay them not, lest my people forget; make them totter by thy power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield! 12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies which they utter, 13 consume them in wrath, consume them till they are no more, that men may know that God rules over Jacob to the ends of the earth. [Selah] 14 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. 15 They roam about for food, and growl if they do not get their fill. 16 But I will sing of thy might; I will sing aloud of thy steadfast love in the morning. For thou hast been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. 17 O my Strength, I will sing praises to thee, for thou, O God, art my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love. ————————————————————————

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Psalms 60

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To the choirmaster: according to Shushan Eduth. A Miktam of David; for instruction; when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return killed twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.

1 O God, thou hast rejected us, broken our defenses; thou hast been angry; oh, restore us. 2 Thou hast made the land to quake, thou hast rent it open; repair its breaches, for it totters. 3 Thou hast made thy people suffer hard things; thou hast given us wine to drink that made us reel. 4 Thou hast set up a banner for those who fear thee, to rally to it from the bow. [Selah] 5 That thy beloved may be delivered, give victory by thy right hand and answer us! 6 God has spoken in his sanctuary: "With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Vale of Succoth. 7 Gilead is mine; Manas’seh is mine; E’phraim is my helmet; Judah is my scepter. 8 Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph." 9 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? 10Hast thou not rejected us, O God? Thou dost not go forth, O God, with our armies. 11O grant us help against the foe, for vain is the help of man! 12With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes. ————————————————————————

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Psalms 61

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To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

1 Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; 2 from the end of the earth I call to thee, when my heart is faint. Lead thou me to the rock that is higher than I; 3 for thou art my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. 4 Let me dwell in thy tent for ever! Oh to be safe under the shelter of thy wings! [Selah] 5 For thou, O God, hast heard my vows, thou hast given me the heritage of those who fear thy name. 6 Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations! 7 May he be enthroned for ever before God; bid steadfast love and faithfulness watch over him! 8 So will I ever sing praises to thy name, as I pay my vows day after day. ————————————————————————

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Psalms 62

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To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

1 For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. 2 He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly moved. 3 How long will you set upon a man to shatter him, all of you, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? 4 They only plan to thrust him down from his eminence. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. [Selah] 5 For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. 7 On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. 8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. [Selah] 9 Men of low estate are but a breath, men of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath. 10 Put no confidence in extortion, set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them. 11 Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God; 12 and that to thee, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For thou dost requite a man according to his work. ————————————————————————

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Psalms 63

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A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.

1 O God, thou art my God, I seek thee, my soul thirsts for thee; my flesh faints for thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is. 2 So I have looked upon thee in the sanctuary, beholding thy power and glory. 3 Because thy steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise thee. 4 So I will bless thee as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on thy name. 5 My soul is feasted as with marrow and fat, and my mouth praises thee with joyful lips, 6 when I think of thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the watches of the night; 7 for thou hast been my help, and in the shadow of thy wings I sing for joy. 8 My soul clings to thee; thy right hand upholds me. 9 But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth; 10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword, they shall be prey for jackals. 11 But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall glory; for the mouths of liars will be stopped. ————————————————————————

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Psalms 64

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To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy, 2 hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the scheming of evildoers, 3 who whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows, 4 shooting from ambush at the blameless, shooting at him suddenly and without fear. 5 They hold fast to their evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly, thinking, "Who can see us? 6 Who can search out our crimes? We have thought out a cunningly conceived plot." For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep! 7 But God will shoot his arrow at them; they will be wounded suddenly. 8 Because of their tongue he will bring them to ruin; all who see them will wag their heads. 9 Then all men will fear; they will tell what God has wrought, and ponder what he has done. 10 Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD, and take refuge in him! Let all the upright in heart glory! ————————————————————————

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Psalms 65

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1 Praise is due to thee, O God, in Zion; and to thee shall vows be performed, 2 O thou who hearest prayer! To thee shall all flesh come 3 on account of sins. When our transgressions prevail over us, thou dost forgive them. 4 Blessed is he whom thou dost choose and bring near, to dwell in thy courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, thy holy temple! 5 By dread deeds thou dost answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation, who art the hope of all the ends of the earth, and of the farthest seas; 6 who by thy strength hast established the mountains, being girded with might; 7 who dost still the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples; 8 so that those who dwell at earth’s farthest bounds are afraid at thy signs; thou makest the outgoings of the morning and the evening to shout for joy. 9 Thou visitest the earth and waterest it, thou greatly enrichest it; the river of God is full of water; thou providest their grain, for so thou hast prepared it. 10 Thou waterest its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. 11 Thou crownest the year with thy bounty; the tracks of thy chariot drip with fatness. 12 The pastures of the wilderness drip, the hills gird themselves with joy, 13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy. ———————————————————————— ——–

Psalms 66

¹ Unto the end, in, hymns, a psalm of a canticle for David.² May God have mercy on us, and bless us: may he cause the light of his countenance to shine upon us, and may he have mercy on us.³ That we may know thy way upon earth: thy salvation in all nations.⁴ Let people confess to thee, O God: let all people give praise to thee.⁵ Let the nations be glad and rejoice: for thou judgest the people with justice, and directest the nations upon earth.⁶ Let the people, O God, confess to thee: let all the people give praise to thee:⁷ The earth hath yielded her fruit. May God, our God bless us,⁸ May God bless us: and all the ends of the earth fear him.

Psalms 67

¹ Unto the end, a psalm of a canticle for David himself.² Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered: and let them that hate him flee from before his face.³ As smoke vanisheth, so let them vanish away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. ⁴ And let the just feast, and rejoice before God: and be delighted with gladness.⁵ Sing ye to God, sing a psalm to his name, make a way for him who ascendeth upon the west: the Lord is his name. Rejoice ye before him: but the wicked shall be troubled at his presence, ⁶ Who is the father of orphans, and the judge of widows. God in his holy place: ⁷ God who maketh men of one manner to dwell in a house: Who bringeth out them that were bound in strength; in like manner them that provoke, that dwell in sepulchres. ⁸ O God, when thou didst go forth in the sight of thy people, when thou didst pass through the desert: ⁹ The earth was moved, and the heavens dropped at the presence of the God of Sina, at the presence of the God of Israel. ¹⁰ Thou shalt set aside for thy inheritance a free rain, O God: and it was weakened, but thou hast made it perfect. ¹¹ In it shall thy animals dwell; in thy sweetness, O God, thou hast provided for the poor. ¹² The Lord shall give the word to them that preach good tidings with great power. ¹³ The king of powers is of the beloved, of the beloved; and the beauty of the house shall divide spoils. ¹⁴ If you sleep among the midst of lots, you shall be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and the hinder parts of her back with the paleness of gold. ¹⁵ When he that is in heaven appointeth kings over her, they shall be whited with snow in Selmon. ¹⁶ The mountain of God is a fat mountain. A curdled mountain, a fat mountain. ¹⁷ Why suspect, ye curdled mountains? A mountain in which God is well pleased to dwell: for there the Lord shall dwell unto the end. ¹⁸ The chariot of God is attended by ten thousands; thousands of them that rejoice: the Lord is among them in Sina, in the holy place. ¹⁹ Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive; thou hast received gifts in men. Yea for those also that do not believe, the dwelling of the Lord God. ²⁰ Blessed be the Lord day by day: the God of our salvation will make our journey prosperous to us. ²¹ Our God is the God of salvation: and of the Lord, of the Lord are the issues from death. ²² But God shall break the heads of his enemies: the hairy crown of them that walk on in their sins.  ²³ The Lord said: I will turn them from Basan, I will turn them into the depth of the sea:²⁴ That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thy enemies; the tongue of thy dogs be red with the same.  ²⁵ They have seen thy goings, O God, the goings of my God: of my king who is in his sanctuary. ²⁶ Princes went before joined with singers, in the midst of young damsels playing on timbrels. ²⁷ In the churches bless ye God the Lord, from the fountains of Israel. ²⁸ There is Benjamin a youth, in ecstasy of mind. The princes of Juda are their leaders: the princes of Zabulon, the princes of Nephthali. ²⁹ Command thy strength, O God: confirm, O God, what thou hast wrought in us. ³⁰ From thy temple in Jerusalem, kings shall offer presents to thee. ³¹ Rebuke the wild beasts of the reeds, the congregation of bulls with the kine of the people; who seek to exclude them who are tried with silver. Scatter thou the nations that delight in wars: ³² Ambassadors shall come out of Egypt: Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands to God. ³³ Sing to God, ye kingdoms of the earth: sing ye to the Lord: Sing ye to God, ³⁴ Who mounteth above the heaven of heavens, to the east. Behold he will give to his voice the voice of power: ³⁵ Give ye glory to God for Israel, his magnificence, and his power is in the clouds. ³⁶ God is wonderful in his saints: the God of Israel is he who will give power and strength to his people. Blessed be God.

Psalms 68

¹ Unto the end, for them that shall be changed; for David. ² SAVE me, O God: for the waters are come in even unto my soul. ³ I stick fast in the mire of the deep: and there is no sure standing. I am come into the depth of the sea: and a tempest hath overwhelmed me. ⁴ I have laboured with crying; my jaws are become hoarse: my eyes have failed, whilst I hope in my God. ⁵ They are multiplied above the hairs of my head, who hate me without cause. My enemies are grown strong who have wrongfully persecuted me: then did I pay that which I took not away. ⁶ O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my offences are not hidden from thee: ⁷ Let not them be ashamed for me, who look for thee, O Lord, the Lord of hosts. Let them not be confounded on my account, who seek thee, O God of Israel. ⁸ Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face. ⁹ I am become a stranger to my brethren, and an alien to the sons of my mother. ¹⁰ For the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up: and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me. ¹¹ And I covered my soul in fasting: and it was made a reproach to me.  ¹² And I made haircloth my garment: and I became a byword to them. ¹³ They that sat in the gate spoke against me: and they that drank wine made me their song. ¹⁴ But as for me, my prayer is to thee, O Lord; for the time of thy good pleasure, O God. In the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.  ¹⁵ Draw me out of the mire, that I may not stick fast: deliver me from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters. ¹⁶ Let not the tempest of water drown me, nor the deep swallow me up: and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me. ¹⁷ Hear me, O Lord, for thy mercy is kind; look upon me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies. ¹⁸ And turn not away thy face from thy servant: for I am in trouble, hear me speedily. ¹⁹ Attend to my soul, and deliver it: save me because of my enemies. ²⁰ Thou knowest my reproach, and my confusion, and my shame. ²¹ In thy sight are all they that afflict me; my heart hath expected reproach and misery. And I looked for one that would grieve together with me, but there was none: and for one that would comfort me, and I found none. ²² And they gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. ²³ Let their table become as a snare before them, and a recompense, and a stumblingblock. ²⁴ Let their eyes be darkened that they see not; and their back bend thou down always. ²⁵ Pour out thy indignation upon them: and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them. ²⁶ Let their habitation be made desolate: and let there be none to dwell in their tabernacles. ²⁷ Because they have persecuted him whom thou hast smitten; and they have added to the grief of my wounds. ²⁸ Add thou iniquity upon their iniquity: and let them not come into thy justice. ²⁹ Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; and with the just let them not be written. ³⁰ But I am poor and sorrowful: thy salvation, O God, hath set me up. ³¹ I will praise the name of God with a canticle: and I will magnify him with praise. ³² And it shall please God better than a young calf, that bringeth forth horns and hoofs. ³³ Let the poor see and rejoice: seek ye God, and your soul shall live. ³⁴ For the Lord hath heard the poor: and hath not despised his prisoners. ³⁵ Let the heavens and the earth praise him; the sea, and every thing that creepeth therein. ³⁶ For God will save Sion, and the cities of Juda shall be built up. And they shall dwell there, and acquire it by inheritance. ³⁷ And the seed of his servants shall possess it; and they that love his name shall dwell therein.

Psalms 69

¹ Unto the end, a psalm for David, to bring to remembrance that the Lord saved him.  ² O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me.
³ Let them be confounded and ashamed that seek my soul: ⁴ Let them be turned backward, and blush for shame that desire evils to me: Let them be presently turned away blushing for shame that say to me: Tis well, tis well. ⁵ Let all that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee; and let such as love thy salvation say always: The Lord be magnified. ⁶ But I am needy and poor; O God, help me. Thou art my helper and my deliverer: O Lord, make no delay.

Psalms 70

¹ A psalm for David. Of the sons of Jonadab, and the former captives. In thee, O Lord, I have hoped, let me never be put to confusion:  ² Deliver me in thy justice, and rescue me. Incline thy ear unto me, and save me. ³ Be thou unto me a God, a protector, and a place of strength: that thou mayst make me safe. For thou art my firmament and my refuge.  ⁴ Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the sinner, and out of the hand of the transgressor of the law and of the unjust. ⁵ For thou art my patience, O Lord: my hope, O Lord, from my youth; ⁶ By thee have I been confirmed from the womb: from my mother’s womb thou art my protector. Of thee shall I continually sing: ⁷ I run become unto many as a wonder, but thou art a strong helper. ⁸ Let my mouth be filled with praise, that I may sing thy glory; thy greatness all the day long.  ⁹ Cast me not off in the time of old age: when my strength shall fail, do not thou forsake me. ¹⁰ For my enemies have spoken against me; and they that watched my soul have consulted together, ¹¹ Saying: God hath forsaken him: pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.  ¹² O God, be not thou far from me: O my God, make haste to my help. ¹³ Let them be confounded and come to nothing that detract my soul; let them be covered with confusion and shame that seek my hurt.  ¹⁴ But I will always hope; and will add to all thy praise. ¹⁵ My mouth shall shew forth thy justice; thy salvation all the day long. Because I have not known learning, ¹⁶ I will enter into the powers of the Lord: O Lord, I will be mindful of thy justice alone. ¹⁷ Thou hast taught me, O God, from my youth: and till now I will declare thy wonderful works. ¹⁸ And unto old age and grey hairs: O God, forsake me not, Until I shew forth thy arm to all the generation that is to come: Thy power, ¹⁹ And thy justice, O God, even to the highest great things thou hast done: O God, who is like to thee? ²⁰ How great troubles hast thou shewn me, many and grievous: and turning thou hast brought me to life, and hast brought me back again from the depths of the earth: ²¹ Thou hast multiplied thy magnificence; and turning to me thou hast comforted me. ²² For I will also confess to thee thy truth with the instruments of psaltery: O God, I will sing to thee with the harp, thou holy one of Israel. ²³ My lips shall greatly rejoice, when I shall sing to thee; and my soul which thou hast redeemed. ²⁴ Yea and my tongue shall meditate on thy justice all the day; when they shall be confounded and put to shame that seek evils to me.

 

Psalms 71

¹ A psalm on Solomon. ² Give to the king thy judgment, O God: and to the king’s son thy justice: To judge thy people with justice, and thy poor with judgment. ³ Let the mountains receive peace for the people: and the hills justice. ⁴ He shall judge the poor of the people, and he shall save the children of the poor: and he shall humble the oppressor. ⁵ And he shall continue with the sun, and before the moon, throughout all generations. ⁶ He shall come down like rain upon the fleece; and as showers falling gently upon the earth. ⁷ In his days shall justice spring up, and abundance of peace, till the moon be taken sway. ⁸ And he shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. ⁹ Before him the Ethiopians shall fall down: and his enemies shall lick the ground. ¹⁰ The kings of Tharsis and the islands shall offer presents: the kings of the Arabians and of Saba shall bring gifts:¹¹ And all kings of the earth shall adore him: all nations shall serve him. ¹² For he shall deliver the poor from the mighty: and the needy that had no helper. ¹³ He shall spare the poor and needy: and he shall save the souls of the poor. ¹⁴ He shall redeem their souls from usuries and iniquity: and their names shall be honourable in his sight. ¹⁵ And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Arabia, for him they shall always adore: they shall bless him all the day. ¹⁶ And there shall be a firmament on the earth on the tops of mountains, above Libanus shall the fruit thereof be exalted: and they of the city shall flourish like the grass of the earth. ¹⁷ Let his name be blessed for evermore: his name continueth before the sun. And in him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed: all nations shall magnify him. ¹⁸ Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone doth wonderful things. ¹⁹ And blessed be the name of his majesty for ever: and the whole earth shall be filled with his majesty. So be it. So be it. ²⁰ The praises of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.

 

Psalms 72

¹ A psalm for Asaph. How good is God to Israel, to them that are of a right heart! ² But my feet were almost moved; my steps had well nigh slipped. ³ Because I had a zeal on occasion of the wicked, seeing the prosperity of sinners. ⁴ For there is no regard to their death, nor is there strength in their stripes. ⁵ They are not in the labour of men: neither shall they be scourged like other men. ⁶ Therefore pride hath held them fast: they are covered with their iniquity and their wickedness. ⁷ Their iniquity hath come forth, as it were from fatness: they have passed into the affection of the heart. ⁸ They have thought and spoken wickedness: they have spoken iniquity on high. ⁹ They have set their mouth against heaven: and their tongue hath passed through the earth. ¹⁰ Therefore will my people return here and full days shall be found in them. ¹¹ And they said: How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High? ¹² Behold these are sinners; and yet abounding in the world they have obtained riches. ¹³ And I said: Then have I in vain justified my heart, and washed my hands among the innocent. ¹⁴ And I have been scourged all the day; and my chastisement hath been in the mornings. ¹⁵ If I said: I will speak thus; behold I should condemn the generation of thy children. ¹⁶ I studied that I might know this thing, it is a labour in my sight: ¹⁷ Until I go into the sanctuary of God, and understand concerning their last ends. ¹⁸ But indeed for deceits thou hast put it to them: when they were lifted up thou hast cast them down. ¹⁹ How are they brought to desolation? they have suddenly ceased to be: they have perished by reason of their iniquity. ²⁰ As the dream of them that awake, O Lord; so in thy city thou shalt bring their image to nothing. ²¹ For my heart hath been inflamed, and my reins have been changed: ²² And I am brought to nothing, and I knew not. ²³ I am become as a beast before thee: and I am always with thee.  ²⁴ Thou hast held me by my right hand; and by thy will thou hast conducted me, and with thy glory thou hast received me. ²⁵ For what have I in heaven? and besides thee what do I desire upon earth? ²⁶ For thee my flesh and my heart hath fainted away: thou art the God of my heart, and the God that is my portion for ever. ²⁷ For behold they that go far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that are disloyal to thee. ²⁸ But it is good for me to adhere to my God, to put my hope in the Lord God: That I may declare all thy praises, in the gates of the daughter of Sion.

Day 4 Psalms 40 — 52

previous readings

Psalms 40

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1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD. 4 Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods! 5 Thou hast multiplied, O LORD my God, thy wondrous deeds and thy thoughts toward us; none can compare with thee! Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be numbered. 6 Sacrifice and offering thou dost not desire; but thou hast given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering thou hast not required.

Father, may I seek your will, always.

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Psalms 41

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To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1 Blessed is he who considers the poor! The LORD delivers him in the day of trouble; 2 the LORD protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; thou dost not give him up to the will of his enemies. 3 The LORD sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness thou healest all his infirmities. 4 As for me, I said, "O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against thee!" 5 My enemies say of me in malice: "When will he die, and his name perish?" 6 And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words, while his heart gathers mischief; when he goes out, he tells it abroad. 7 All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me. 8 They say, "A deadly thing has fastened upon him; he will not rise again from where he lies." 9 Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted his heel against me. 10 But do thou, O LORD, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may requite them! 11 By this I know that thou art pleased with me, in that my enemy has not triumphed over me. 12 But thou hast upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in thy presence for ever. 13 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen. ————————————————————————

Father, may the last word always be praise of You.

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Psalms 42

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To the choirmaster. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah.

1 As a hart longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me continually, "Where is your God?" 4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help 6 and my God. My soul is cast down within me, therefore I remember thee from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep at the thunder of thy cataracts; all thy waves and thy billows have gone over me. 8 By day the LORD commands his steadfast love; and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God, my rock: "Why hast thou forgotten me? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?" 10 As with a deadly wound in my body, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually, "Where is your God?" 11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God. ————————————————————————

Father, may the last word always be praise of You.

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Psalms 43

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1 Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people; from deceitful and unjust men deliver me! 2 For thou art the God in whom I take refuge; why hast thou cast me off? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 3 Oh send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me, let them bring me to thy holy hill and to thy dwelling! 4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and I will praise thee with the lyre, O God, my God. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God. ————————————————————————

Father, may I live to worship You.

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Psalms 44

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To the choirmaster. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah.

1 We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what deeds thou didst perform in their days, in the days of old: 2 thou with thy own hand didst drive out the nations, but them thou didst plant; thou didst afflict the peoples, but them thou didst set free; 3 for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm give them victory; but thy right hand, and thy arm, and the light of thy countenance; for thou didst delight in them. 4 Thou art my King and my God, who ordainest victories for Jacob. 5 Through thee we push down our foes; through thy name we tread down our assailants. 6 For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me. 7 But thou hast saved us from our foes, and hast put to confusion those who hate us. 8 In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to thy name for ever. [Selah] 9 Yet thou hast cast us off and abased us, and hast not gone out with our armies. 10 Thou hast made us turn back from the foe; and our enemies have gotten spoil. 11 Thou hast made us like sheep for slaughter, and hast scattered us among the nations. 12 Thou hast sold thy people for a trifle, demanding no high price for them. 13 Thou hast made us the taunt of our neighbors, the derision and scorn of those about us. 14 Thou hast made us a byword among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples. 15 All day long my disgrace is before me, and shame has covered my face, 16 at the words of the taunters and revilers, at the sight of the enemy and the avenger. 17 All this has come upon us, though we have not forgotten thee, or been false to thy covenant. 18 Our heart has not turned back, nor have our steps departed from thy way, 19 that thou shouldst have broken us in the place of jackals, and covered us with deep darkness. 20 If we had forgotten the name of our God, or spread forth our hands to a strange god, 21 would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart. 22 Nay, for thy sake we are slain all the day long, and accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 23 Rouse thyself! Why sleepest thou, O Lord? Awake! Do not cast us off for ever! 24 Why dost thou hide thy face? Why dost thou forget our affliction and oppression? 25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our body cleaves to the ground. 26 Rise up, come to our help! Deliver us for the sake of thy steadfast love! ————————————————————————

Father, open my eyes daily to new insights in Your word.

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Psalms 45

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To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah a love song.

1 My heart overflows with a goodly theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe. 2 You are the fairest of the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you for ever. 3 Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one, in your glory and majesty! 4 In your majesty ride forth victoriously for the cause of truth and to defend the right; let your right hand teach you dread deeds! 5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; the peoples fall under you. 6 Your divine throne endures for ever and ever. Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity; 7 you love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows; 8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad; 9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor; at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir. 10 Hear, O daughter, consider, and incline your ear; forget your people and your father’s house; 11 and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him; 12 the people of Tyre will sue your favor with gifts, the richest of the people 13 with all kinds of wealth. The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes; 14 in many-colored robes she is led to the king, with her virgin companions, her escort, in her train. 15 With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king. 16 Instead of your fathers shall be your sons; you will make them princes in all the earth. 17 I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you for ever and ever. ————————————————————————

Jesus, may my relationship with You be deeper than any marriage-relationship.

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Psalms 46

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To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song.

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. [Selah] 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God will help her right early.  6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. 7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. [Selah] 8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has wrought desolations in the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear, he burns the chariots with fire! 10 "Be still, and know that I am God. I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth!" 11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. [Selah] ————————————————————————

Father, like Jesus, may I die for my enemies.

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Psalms 47

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To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

1 Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! 2 For the LORD, the Most High, is terrible, a great king over all the earth. 3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. 4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. [Selah] 5 God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7 For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! 8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. 9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted! ————————————————————————

Jesus, You are worthy to be praised. I give my life to You.

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Psalms 48

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A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

1 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, 2 beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. 3 Within her citadels God has shown himself a sure defense. 4 For lo, the kings assembled, they came on together. 5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded, they were in panic, they took to flight; 6 trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in travail. 7 By the east wind thou didst shatter the ships of Tarshish. 8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God, which God establishes for ever. [Selah] 9 We have thought on thy steadfast love, O God, in the midst of thy temple. 10 As thy name, O God, so thy praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Thy right hand is filled with victory; 11 let Mount Zion be glad! Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of thy judgments! 12 Walk about Zion, go round about her, number her towers, 13 consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels; that you may tell the next generation 14 that this is God, our God for ever and ever. He will be our guide for ever. ————————————————————————

"O Lord our God, You are worthy to receive glory and honor and power!" (Rv 4:11).

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Psalms 49

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To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

1 Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, 2 both low and high, rich and poor together! 3 My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. 4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre. 5 Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me, 6 men who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches? 7 Truly no man can ransom himself, or give to God the price of his life, 8 for the ransom of his life is costly, and can never suffice, 9 that he should continue to live on for ever, and never see the Pit. 10 Yea, he shall see that even the wise die, the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others. 11 Their graves are their homes for ever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they named lands their own. 12 Man cannot abide in his pomp, he is like the beasts that perish. 13 This is the fate of those who have foolish confidence, the end of those who are pleased with their portion. [Selah] 14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; straight to the grave they descend, and their form shall waste away; Sheol shall be their home. 15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. [Selah] 16 Be not afraid when one becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases. 17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him. 18 Though, while he lives, he counts himself happy, and though a man gets praise when he does well for himself, 19 he will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never more see the light. 20 Man cannot abide in his pomp, he is like the beasts that perish. ————————————————————————

Jesus, thank You for giving Your life as a ransom for me.

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Psalms 50

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A Psalm of Asaph.

1 The Mighty One, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. 2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. 3 Our God comes, he does not keep silence, before him is a devouring fire, round about him a mighty tempest. 4 He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people: 5 "Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!" 6 The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge! [Selah] 7 "Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God. 8 I do not reprove you for your sacrifices; your burnt offerings are continually before me. 9 I will accept no bull from your house, nor he-goat from your folds. 10 For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know all the birds of the air, and all that moves in the field is mine. 12 "If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world and all that is in it is mine. 13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? 14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High; 15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me." 16 But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to recite my statutes, or take my covenant on your lips? 17 For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you. 18 If you see a thief, you are a friend of his; and you keep company with adulterers. 19 "You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit. 20 You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother’s son.21 These things you have done and I have been silent; you thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you, and lay the charge before you. 22 "Mark this, then, you who forget God, lest I rend, and there be none to deliver! 23 He who brings thanksgiving as his sacrifice honors me; to him who orders his way aright I will show the salvation of God!" ————————————————————————

Father, may I practice what I pray.

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Psalms 51

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To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy steadfast love; according to thy abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in thy sight, so that thou art justified in thy sentence and blameless in thy judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Fill me with joy and gladness; let the bones which thou hast broken rejoice. 9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners will return to thee. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of thy deliverance. 15 O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. 16 For thou hast no delight in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt offering, thou wouldst not be pleased. 17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 18 Do good to Zion in thy good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, 19 then wilt thou delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on thy altar. ————————————————————————

"Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me" (51:4)

pray this psalm in preparation for regular Confession

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Psalms 52

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1 Why do you boast, O mighty man, of mischief done against the godly? All the day 2 you are plotting destruction. Your tongue is like a sharp razor, you worker of treachery. 3 You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking the truth. [Selah] 4 You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue. 5 But God will break you down for ever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. [Selah] 6 The righteous shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying, 7 "See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and sought refuge in his wealth!" 8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God for ever and ever. 9 I will thank thee for ever, because thou hast done it. I will proclaim thy name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly. ————————————————————————

Father, may I realize my battle is not against human beings but the devil (Eph 6:12).