June 22

Psalms 26:1 — 31:24

Of David.

26 Judge me, O Jehovah, for I myself have walked in my own integrity,

    And in Jehovah I have trusted, that I may not wobble.

 2 Examine me, O Jehovah, and put me to the test;

      Refine my kidneys and my heart.

 3 For your loving-kindness is in front of my eyes,

      And I have walked in your truth.

 4 I have not sat with men of untruth;

      And with those who hide what they are I do not come in.

 5 I have hated the congregation of evildoers,

      And with the wicked ones I do not sit.

 6 I shall wash my hands in innocency itself,

      And I will march around your altar, O Jehovah,

 7 To cause thanksgiving to be heard aloud,

      And to declare all your wonderful works.

 8 Jehovah, I have loved the dwelling of your house

      And the place of the residing of your glory.

 9 Do not take away my soul along with sinners,

      Nor my life along with bloodguilty men,

10 In whose hands there is loose conduct,

       And whose right hand is full of bribery.

11 As for me, in my integrity I shall walk.

       O redeem me and show me favor.

12 My own foot will certainly stand on a level place;

       Among the congregated throngs I shall bless Jehovah.

Of David.

27 Jehovah is my light and my salvation.

    Of whom shall I be in fear?

      Jehovah is the stronghold of my life.

      Of whom shall I be in dread?

 2 When the evildoers approached against me to eat up my flesh,

      They being my adversaries and my enemies personally,

      They themselves stumbled and fell.

 3 Though against me an encampment should pitch tent,

      My heart will not fear.

      Though against me war should rise,

      Even then I shall be trusting.

 4 One thing I have asked from Jehovah—

      It is what I shall look for,

      That I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life,

      To behold the pleasantness of Jehovah

      And to look with appreciation upon his temple.

 5 For he will hide me in his covert in the day of calamity;

      He will conceal me in the secret place of his tent;

      High on a rock he will put me.

 6 And now my head will be high above my enemies all around me;

      And I will sacrifice at his tent sacrifices of joyful shouting;

      I will sing and make melody to Jehovah.

 7 Hear, O Jehovah, when I call with my voice,

      And show me favor and answer me.

 8 Concerning you my heart has said: “Seek to find my face, YOU people.”

      Your face, O Jehovah, I shall seek to find.

 9 Do not conceal your face from me.

      Do not in anger turn your servant away.

      My assistance you must become.

      Do not forsake me and do not leave me, O my God of salvation.

10 In case my own father and my own mother did leave me,

       Even Jehovah himself would take me up.

11 Instruct me, O Jehovah, in your way,

       And lead me in the path of uprightness on account of my foes.

12 Do not give me over to the soul of my adversaries;

       For against me false witnesses have risen up,

       And he who launches forth violence.

13 If I had not had faith in seeing the goodness of Jehovah in the land of those alive—!

14 Hope in Jehovah; be courageous and let your heart be strong.

       Yes, hope in Jehovah.

Of David.

28 To you, O Jehovah, I keep calling. O my Rock, do not be deaf to me,

    That you may not keep still toward me

      And I do not have to become like those going down to the pit.

 2 Hear the voice of my entreaties when I cry to you for help,

      When I raise my hands to the innermost room of your holy place.

 3 Do not draw me along with wicked people and with practicers of what is hurtful,

      Those who are speaking peace with their companions but in whose hearts is what is bad.

 4 Give to them according to their acting

      And according to the badness of their practices.

      According to the work of their hands do you give to them.

      Pay back to them their own doing.

 5 For they have no regard for the activities of Jehovah,

      Nor for the work of his hands.

      He will tear them down and not build them up.

 6 Blessed be Jehovah, for he has heard the voice of my entreaties.

 7 Jehovah is my strength and my shield.

      In him my heart has trusted,

      And I have been helped, so that my heart exults,

      And with my song I shall laud him.

 8 Jehovah is a strength to his people,

      And he is a stronghold of the grand salvation of his anointed one.

 9 Do save your people, and bless your inheritance;

      And shepherd them and carry them to time indefinite.

A melody of David.

29 Ascribe to Jehovah, O YOU sons of strong ones,

    Ascribe to Jehovah glory and strength.

 2 Ascribe to Jehovah the glory of his name.

      Bow down to Jehovah in holy adornment.

 3 The voice of Jehovah is over the waters;

      The glorious God himself has thundered.

      Jehovah is over many waters.

 4 The voice of Jehovah is powerful;

      The voice of Jehovah is splendid.

 5 The voice of Jehovah is breaking the cedars;

      Yes, Jehovah breaks the cedars of Lebanon in pieces,

 6 And he makes them skip about like a calf,

      Lebanon and Sirion like the sons of wild bulls.

 7 The voice of Jehovah is hewing with the flames of fire;

 8 The voice of Jehovah itself makes the wilderness writhe,

      Jehovah makes the wilderness of Kadesh writhe.

 9 The voice of Jehovah itself makes the hinds writhe with birth pains

      And strips bare the forests.

      And in his temple each one is saying: “Glory!”

10 Upon the deluge Jehovah has seated himself;

       And Jehovah sits as king to time indefinite.

11 Jehovah himself will give strength indeed to his people.

       Jehovah himself will bless his people with peace.

A melody. A song of inauguration of the house. Of David.

30 I shall exalt you, O Jehovah, for you have drawn me up

   And you have not let my enemies rejoice over me.

 2 O Jehovah my God, I cried to you for help, and you proceeded to heal me.

 3 O Jehovah, you have brought up my soul from Sheol itself;

      You have kept me alive, that I should not go down into the pit.

 4 Make melody to Jehovah, O YOU loyal ones of his,

      Give thanks to his holy memorial;

 5 Because being under his anger is for a moment,

      Being under his goodwill is for a lifetime.

      In the evening weeping may take up lodging, but in the morning there is a joyful cry.

 6 As for me, I have said in my ease:

      “Never shall I be made to totter.”

 7 O Jehovah, in your goodwill you have made my mountain to stand in strength.

      You concealed your face; I became one that is disturbed.

 8 To you, O Jehovah, I kept calling;

      And to Jehovah I kept making entreaty for favor.

 9 What profit is there in my blood when I go down to the pit?

      Will the dust laud you? Will it tell of your trueness?

10 Hear, O Jehovah, and show me favor.

       O Jehovah, prove yourself my helper.

11 You have changed my mourning into dancing for me;

       You have loosened my sackcloth, and you keep me girded with rejoicing,

12 In order that [my] glory may make melody to you and not keep silent.

       O Jehovah my God, to time indefinite I will laud you.

To the director. A melody of David.

31 In you, O Jehovah, have I taken refuge.

    O may I never be ashamed.

      In your righteousness provide escape for me.

 2 Incline to me your ear.

      Deliver me speedily.

      Become for me a rocky stronghold,

      A house of strongholds to save me.

 3 For you are my crag and my stronghold;

      And for the sake of your name you will lead me and conduct me.

 4 You will bring me out of the net that they have hidden for me,

      For you are my fortress.

 5 Into your hand I entrust my spirit.

      You have redeemed me, O Jehovah the God of truth.

 6 I do hate those paying regard to worthless, vain idols;

      But as for me, in Jehovah I do trust.

 7 I will be joyful and rejoice in your loving-kindness,

      In that you have seen my affliction;

      You have known about the distresses of my soul,

 8 And you have not surrendered me into the hand of the enemy.

      You have made my feet stand in a roomy place.

 9 Show me favor, O Jehovah, for I am in sore straits.

      With vexation my eye has become weak, my soul and my belly.

10 For with grief my life has come to an end,

       And my years in sighing.

       Because of my error my power has stumbled,

       And my very bones have become weak.

11 From the standpoint of all those showing hostility to me I have become a reproach,

       And to my neighbors very much so,

       And a dread to my acquaintances.

       When seeing me out of doors, they have fled from me.

12 Like someone dead [and] not in the heart, I have been forgotten;

       I have become like a damaged vessel;

13 For I have heard the bad report by many,

       Fright being on all sides.

       When they mass together as one against me,

       It is to take away my soul that they do scheme.

14 But I—in you I have put my trust, O Jehovah.

       I have said: “You are my God.”

15 My times are in your hand.

       Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those pursuing me.

16 Do cause your face to shine upon your servant.

       Save me in your loving-kindness.

17 O Jehovah, may I not be ashamed, for I have called on you.

       May the wicked ones be ashamed;

       May they keep silent in Sheol.

18 May false lips become speechless,

       That are speaking against the righteous one, unrestrainedly in haughtiness and contempt.

19 How abundant your goodness is, which you have treasured up for those fearing you!

       [Which] you have rendered to those taking refuge in you,

       In front of the sons of men.

20 You will conceal them in the secret place of your person

       From the banding together of men.

       You will hide them in your booth from the quarreling of tongues.

21 Blessed be Jehovah,

       For he has rendered wonderful loving-kindness to me in a city under stress.

22 As for me, I said when I became panicky:

       “I shall certainly be exterminated from in front of your eyes.”

       Surely you have heard the voice of my entreaties when I cried to you for help.

23 O love Jehovah, all YOU loyal ones of his.

       The faithful ones Jehovah is safeguarding,

       But he is rewarding exceedingly anyone showing haughtiness.

24 Be courageous, and may YOUR heart be strong,

       All YOU who are waiting for Jehovah.