1 A psalm, a song used at the dedication of the temple; by David.

I will praise you, O Lord, for you lifted me up

and did not allow my enemies to gloat over me.

2 O Lord my God,

I cried out to you and you healed me.

3 O Lord, you pulled me up from Sheol;

you rescued me from among those descending into the grave.

4 Sing to the Lord, you faithful followers of his;

give thanks to his holy name.

5 For his anger lasts only a brief moment,

and his good favor restores one’s life.

One may experience sorrow during the night,

but joy arrives in the morning.

6 In my self-confidence I said,

“I will never be shaken.”

7 O Lord, in your good favor you made me secure.

Then you rejected me and I was terrified.

8 To you, O Lord, I cried out;

I begged the Lord for mercy:

9 “What profit is there in taking my life,

in my descending into the Pit?

Can the dust of the grave praise you?

Can it declare your loyalty?

10 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me.

O Lord, deliver me.”

11 Then you turned my lament into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and covered me with joy.

12 So now my heart will sing to you and not be silent;

O Lord my God, I will always give thanks to you.

31:1 For the music director, a psalm of David.

In you, O Lord, I have taken shelter.

Never let me be humiliated.

Vindicate me by rescuing me.

2 Listen to me.

Quickly deliver me.

Be my protector and refuge,

a stronghold where I can be safe.

3 For you are my high ridge and my stronghold;

for the sake of your own reputation you lead me and guide me.

4 You will free me from the net they hid for me,

for you are my place of refuge.

5 Into your hand I entrust my life;

you will rescue me, O Lord, the faithful God.

6 I hate those who serve worthless idols,

but I trust in the Lord.

7 I will be happy and rejoice in your faithfulness,

because you notice my pain

and you are aware of how distressed I am.

8 You do not deliver me over to the power of the enemy;

you enable me to stand in a wide open place.

9 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress!

My eyes grow dim from suffering.

I have lost my strength.

10 For my life nears its end in pain;

my years draw to a close as I groan.

My strength fails me because of my sin,

and my bones become brittle.

11 Because of all my enemies, people disdain me;

my neighbors are appalled by my suffering—

those who know me are horrified by my condition;

those who see me in the street run away from me.

12 I am forgotten, like a dead man no one thinks about;

I am regarded as worthless, like a broken jar.

13 For I hear what so many are saying,

the terrifying news that comes from every direction.

When they plot together against me,

they figure out how they can take my life.

14 But I trust in you, O Lord!

I declare, “You are my God!”

15 You determine my destiny.

Rescue me from the power of my enemies and those who chase me.

16 Smile on your servant.

Deliver me because of your faithfulness.

17 O Lord, do not let me be humiliated,

for I call out to you.

May evil men be humiliated.

May they go wailing to the grave.

18 May lying lips be silenced—

lips that speak defiantly against the innocent

with arrogance and contempt.

19 How great is your favor,

which you store up for your loyal followers.

In plain sight of everyone you bestow it on those who take shelter in you.

20 You hide them with you, where they are safe from the attacks of men;

you conceal them in a shelter, where they are safe from slanderous attacks.

21 The Lord deserves praise

for he demonstrated his amazing faithfulness to me when I was besieged by enemies.

22 I jumped to conclusions and said,

“I am cut off from your presence!”

But you heard my plea for mercy when I cried out to you for help.

23 Love the Lord, all you faithful followers of his!

The Lord protects those who have integrity,

but he pays back in full the one who acts arrogantly.

24 Be strong and confident,

all you who wait on the Lord.

32:1 By David; a well-written song.

How blessed is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven,

whose sin is pardoned.

2 How blessed is the one whose wrongdoing the Lord does not punish,

in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3 When I refused to confess my sin,

my whole body wasted away,

while I groaned in pain all day long.

4 For day and night you tormented me;

you tried to destroy me in the intense heat of summer. (Selah)

5 Then I confessed my sin;

I no longer covered up my wrongdoing.

I said, “I will confess my rebellious acts to the Lord.”

And then you forgave my sins. (Selah)

6 For this reason every one of your faithful followers should pray to you

while there is a window of opportunity.

Certainly when the surging water rises,

it will not reach them.

7 You are my hiding place;

you protect me from distress.

You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance. (Selah)

8 I will instruct and teach you about how you should live.

I will advise you as I look you in the eye.

9 Do not be like an unintelligent horse or mule,

which will not obey you

unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit.

10 An evil person suffers much pain,

but the Lord’s faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him.

11 Rejoice in the Lord and be happy, you who are godly!

Shout for joy, all you who are morally upright!

33:1 You godly ones, shout for joy because of the Lord!

It is appropriate for the morally upright to offer him praise.

2 Give thanks to the Lord with the harp.

Sing to him to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument.

3 Sing to him a new song.

Play skillfully as you shout out your praises to him.

4 For the Lord’s decrees are just,

and everything he does is fair.

5 He promotes equity and justice;

the Lord’s faithfulness extends throughout the earth.

6 By the Lord’s decree the heavens were made,

and by the breath of his mouth all the starry hosts.

7 He piles up the water of the sea;

he puts the oceans in storehouses.

8 Let the whole earth fear the Lord.

Let all who live in the world stand in awe of him.

9 For he spoke, and it came into existence.

He issued the decree, and it stood firm.

10 The Lord frustrates the decisions of the nations;

he nullifies the plans of the peoples.

11 The Lord’s decisions stand forever;

his plans abide throughout the ages.

12 How blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,

the people whom he has chosen to be his special possession.

13 The Lord watches from heaven;

he sees all people.

14 From the place where he lives he looks carefully

at all the earth’s inhabitants.

15 He is the one who forms every human heart,

and takes note of all their actions.

16 No king is delivered by his vast army;

a warrior is not saved by his great might.

17 A horse disappoints those who trust in it for victory;

despite its great strength, it cannot deliver.

18 Look, the Lord takes notice of his loyal followers,

those who wait for him to demonstrate his faithfulness

19 by saving their lives from death

and sustaining them during times of famine.

20 We wait for the Lord;

he is our deliverer and shield.

21 For our hearts rejoice in him,

for we trust in his holy name.

22 May we experience your faithfulness, O Lord,

for we wait for you.