PSALM II

Psalm			23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
Psalm	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40
Psalm	41

至其他聖詠

01-22

23-41

42-60

61-77

78-93

94-108

109-121

122-150

PSALM ¤23 {22}

{The good shepherd.— The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. The table and the cup of Christ are before me. I have received better than the anointing of holy oil, that of the Spirit (Jn 2:27). It is not the repose of death that I await but the resurrection that brings me to the Father.}

°1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

°2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside the still waters,

°3 he restores my soul.

He guides me through the right paths

for his name’s sake.

°4 Although I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil,

for you are beside me:

your rod and your staff comfort me.

°5 You spread a table before me

in the presence of my foes.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup is overflowing.

°6 Goodness and kindness will follow me

all the days of my life,

I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

as long as I live.

PSALM ¤24 {23}

{The destiny of humankind.— God created the universe to display his riches but the world is not completed, until God has visited humankind, and the New Man, the Son of God has revealed himself.}

°1 The earth and its fullness belong to the Lord,

the world and all that dwell in it.

°2 He has founded it upon the ocean

and set it firmly upon the waters.

°3 Who will ascend the mountain of the Lord?

Who will stand in his holy place?

°4 Those with clean hands and pure heart,

who desire not what is vain,

and never swear to a lie.

°5 They will receive blessings from the Lord,

a reward from God, their savior.

°6 Such are the people who seek him,

who seek the face of Jacob’s God.

°7 Lift up, O gateways, your lintels,

open up, you ancient doors,

that the King of glory may enter!

°8 Who is the King of glory?

The Lord, the strong, the mighty,

the Lord, valiant in battle.

°9 Lift up your lintels, O gateways,

open up, you ancient doors,

that the King of glory may enter!

°10 Who is the King of glory?

The Lord of Hosts,

he is the King of glory!

PSALM ¤25 {24}

{Calling on God in trials.— The Bible does not know despair. We can be broken by sorrow, anxiety, the weight of sin, but there is always an escape. All our paths, even the worst, can finally lead to a love stronger than all the powers of this world.}

°1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

°2 In you my God I trust; let me not be put to shame, let not my enemies exult over me.

°3 Those who hope in you will never be humbled; those who turn away from you will suffer disgrace!

°4 Teach me your ways, O Lord; make known to me your paths.

°5 Guide me in your truth and instruct me, for you are my God, my savior; I hope in you all day long.

°6 Remember your compassion, O Lord, your unfailing love from of old.

°7 Remember not the sins of my youth, but in your love remember me.

°8 Good and upright, the Lord teaches sinners his way.

°9 He teaches the humble of heart and guides them in what is right.

°10 The ways of the Lord are love and faithfulness for those who keep his covenant and precepts.

°11 For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my iniquity, for it is great.

°12 To those who fear the Lord, he will teach the way to choose.

°13 They will live in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land.

°14 The Lord gives advice to those who revere him and makes his covenant known to them.

°15 My eyes are always on the Lord, for he will free my feet from the snare.

°16 Turn to me and have compassion, for I am lonely and afflicted.

°17 Free my heart of bitterness; relieve me of this distress.

°18 See my pain and sufferings, and forgive all my sins.

°19 See how my enemies have increased and how violently they hate me.

°20 Deliver me from them; let me not be put to shame, for I have trusted you.

°21 Let integrity and uprightness be my protection, for all my hope, O Lord, is in you.

°22 Redeem, O God, redeem Israel from all its troubles!

PSALM ¤26 {25}

{Prayer of the just.— Let us make our own the prayer of the just that reaffirms his fidelity. Let us not count on our own merits, like the Pharisee. Let us rather give thanks for this new person that we have become through baptism: Christ has purified and has enriched us.}

°1 Declare me innocent, O Lord, for I have lived with integrity; I have put my trust in the Lord, I shall never waver.

°2 Prove me, O Lord, put me to the test; examine my soul and my heart.

°3 For your love is ever before my eyes, and I live in truth and faithfulness.

°4 I do not associate with the deceitful nor do I go with hypocrites;

°5 I hate the party of the corrupt and avoid the company of the wicked.

°6 I wash my hands free of guilt and walk in procession round your altar,

°7 singing hymns of praise and thanksgiving and proclaiming your wondrous deeds.

°8 O Lord, I love the house where you dwell, the place of your Glory.

°9 Let me not share the fate of sinners, nor lose my life with the violent; °10 their hands are guilty of crimes, their right hands are weighed down with bribes.

°11 But I will walk in integrity, redeem me, O God, be gracious to me.

°12 My foot stands firm in the straight path, I will praise you, O Lord, in your assemblies.

PSALM ¤27 {26}

{Close to God, there is no fear.— It is your face, Lord, that I seek… I hope to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. }

°1 The Lord is my light and my salvation

– whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the rampart of my life;

I will not be afraid.

°2 When the wicked rush at me

to devour my flesh,

it is my foes who stumble,

my enemies fall.

°3 Though an army encamp against me,

my heart will not fail;

though war break out against me,

I will still be confident.

°4 One thing I ask of the Lord, one thing I seek –

that I may dwell in his house all the days of my life,

to gaze at his jewel and to visit his sanctuary.

°5 For he will keep me safe in his shelter

in times of misfortune;

he will hide me beneath his roof,

and set me high upon a rock.

°6 Then my head will be lifted up

over the enemies round about me.

I will offer sacrifices at his Tent with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make music in praise of the Lord.

°7 Hear my voice when I call, O Lord,

have mercy on me and answer.

°8 My heart says to you,

“I seek your face, O Lord.”

°9 Do not hide your face from me

nor turn away your servant in anger.

You are my protector, do not reject me

abandon me not, O God my savior!

°10 Though my father and mother forsake me,

yet will the Lord receive me.

°11 Teach me, O Lord your way;

lead me along a straight path.

°12 Save me from the plot of my enemies,

for false witnesses have risen against me

to pin me down in their violence.

°13 I hope, I am sure,

that I will see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living.

°14 Trust in the Lord, be strong and courageous

– yes, put your hope in the Lord!

PSALM ¤28 {27}

§ O my Rock, do not be deaf to my call!

°1 To you, O Lord, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me.

For if you heed me not, I shall go down to the pit like the rest.

°2 Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your innermost sanctuary.

°3 Drag me not away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who mouth words of peace while they sow mischief and confusion.

°4 Punish them for their evil designs and wicked deeds; give them their due reward. °5 Since they have no regard for the works of the Lord, he will tear them down and never let them rise again.

°6 Blessed be the Lord! He has heard my cry for help.

°7 The Lord is my strength, my shield, my heart was sure of him, I have been helped and my heart exults, with my song I give him thanks.

°8 The Lord is the strength of his people, the saving refuge of his anointed.

°9 Save your people, and bless your inheritance, be their shepherd and carry them forever.

PSALM ¤29 {28}

{The storm: the Lord is passing.— God speaks through the tempest. It is there that he shows his power and his glory.}

°1 Give the Lord, O sons of God,

give the Lord glory and strength,

°2 give the Lord the glory due his name;

worship the Lord in great liturgy.

°3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;

the God of glory thunders,

the Lord thunders over vast waters.

°4 How powerful is the voice of the Lord,

How splenderous is the voice of the Lord.

°5 The voice of the Lord tears up the cedars,

the Lord is shattering the cedars of Lebanon.

°6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,

and Sirion like a young wild bull.

°7 The voice of the Lord breaks forth with flashes of fire,

°8 the voice of the Lord makes the wilderness quake,

The Lord is shaking the wilderness of Kadesh.

°9 The voice of the Lord makes the oaks shudder,

the Lord strips the forests bare,

and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

°10 Over the flood the Lord was sitting;

the Lord is king and he reigns forever.

°11 May the Lord give his people strength;

may the Lord bless his people with peace!

PSALM ¤30 {29}

{I will praise you because you have freed me.— Nothing is definitive in this life. The Lord alternates joys and sorrows according to what we need for the development of our faith. We are, at times, surprised: the trials discourage us as if God no longer existed, and when God gives favors, we dare not believe them to be true.}

°2 I extol you, O Lord, for you have rescued me; my enemies will not gloat over me.

°3 O Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me.

°4 O Lord, you have brought me up from the grave, you gave me life when I was going to the pit.

°5 Sing to the Lord, O you his saints, give thanks and praise to his holy name.

°6 For his anger lasts but a little while, and his kindness all through life.

Weeping may tarry for the night, but rejoicing comes with the dawn.

°7 Once in my prosperity I said, “I shall not be troubled.”

°8 Yet it was you, O Lord, who made me stand on the rock; as soon as you hid your face, I wavered!

°9 To you, O Lord, I called; to you I begged for mercy:

°10 “What good would there be in my destruction, in my going down to the pit?

Would my dust give you praise?

Would it prove your faithfulness?

°11 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; O Lord, be my protector.”

°12 But now, you have turned my mourning into rejoicing; you have taken off my sackcloth and wrapped me in the garments of gladness.

°13 And so my soul, no longer silent, now sings praise without ceasing. O Lord my God, forever will I give you thanks.

PSALM ¤31 {30}

{I seek refuge in you, Lord.— Into your hands I commend my spirit.}

°2 In you, O Lord, I take refuge, may I never be disgraced; deliver me in your justice.

°3 Give heed to my plea, and make haste to rescue me. Be a rock of refuge for me, a fortress for my safety.

°4 For you are my rock and my stronghold, lead me for your name’s sake;

°5 free me from the snare that they have set for me. Indeed you are my protector.

°6 Into your hands I commend my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.

°7 You hate those who worship worthless idols; but I put all my trust in the Lord.

°8 I will rejoice and be glad in your love, for you have seen my affliction, you know the agony of my soul. °9 The hand of the enemy did not grab me; you gave me room to move.

°10 Be merciful to me, O Lord, in my affliction; my eyes have grown dim with sorrow, my body emaciated.

°11 For my days are wracked with grief, and my years worn out in anguish. My strength fails because of my misery.

°12 I have become an object of reproach for my foes, a horror for my neighbors, a fear to my friends. Those who see me in the streets flee from me.

°13 I am like the dead, unremembered; I have become like a broken pot, thrown away, discarded.

°14 I hear whispering among the crowd, rumors that frighten me from every side – their conspiracies, their schemes, their plot to take my life.

°15 But I put my trust in you, O Lord, I said: “You are my God;”

°16 my days are in your hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, from those after my skin.

°17 Make your face shine upon your servant; save me in your love.

°18 Let me not be dishonored, O Lord, for I have called on you;

but let the wicked lie dishonored and go to the pit never to speak.

°19 Let lying lips close in silence, these speaking against the just with malice and arrogance.

°20 How great is the goodness which you have stored for those who fear you, which you show, for all to see, to those who take refuge in you!

°21 In the shelter of your presence you hide them from human wiles; you keep them in your dwelling, safe from the intrigues of wagging tongues.

°22 Blessed be the Lord for his wonderful love! He has strenghtened my heart.

°23 I said in my fright: “I have been cut off from your sight!”

Yet when I was crying, you heard; when I called for mercy, you listened.

°24 Love the Lord, all you his saints! The Lord preserves his faithful, but he fully requites the arrogant.

°25 Be strong and take courage, all you who hope in the Lord.

PSALM ¤32 {31}

{Relief after the confession of sin.— Buried sin ruins our conscience. Confession is always a liberation.}

°1 Blessed is the one whose sin is forgiven,

whose iniquity is wiped away.

°2 Blessed are those in whom the Lord sees no guilt

and in whose spirit is found no deceit.

°3 When I kept my sin secret,

my body wasted away,

I was moaning all day long.

°4 Your hand day and night lay heavy upon me;

draining my strength, parching my heart

as in the heat of a summer drought.

°5 Then I made known to you my sin

and uncovered before you my fault,

saying to myself,

“To the Lord I will now confess my wrong.”

And you, you forgave my sin,

you removed my guilt.

°6 So let the faithful ones pray

to you in time of distress;

the overflowing waters will not reach them.

°7 You are my refuge;

you protect me from distress

and surround me with songs of deliverance.

°8 I will teach you,

I will show you the way to follow.

I will watch over you and give you counsel.

°9 Do not be like the horse or the mule –

senseless and led by bit and bridle.

°10 Many woes befall the wicked,

but the Lord’s mercy enfolds those who trust in him.

°11 Rejoice in the Lord, and be glad,

you who are upright;

sing and shout for joy,

you who are clean of heart.

PSALM ¤33 {32}

{God’s Providence watches over us always.— Happy the nation that has the Lord for God! The Lord watches over those who fear him.}

°1 Rejoice in the Lord, you who are just,

praise is fitting for the upright.

°2 Give thanks to him on the harp and lyre,

making melody and chanting praises.

°3 Amid loud shouts of joy,

sing to him a new song

and play the ten-stringed harp.

°4 For upright is the Lord’s word

and worthy of trust is his work.

°5 The Lord loves justice and righteousness;

the earth is full of his kindness.

°6 The heavens were created by his word,

the breath of his mouth formed their starry host.

°7 He gathered the waters of the sea into a heap,

and stored the deep in cellars.

°8 Let the whole earth fear the Lord,

let the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

°9 For he spoke and so it was,

he commanded, and everything stood firm.

°10 The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations

and brings to nothing the peoples’ designs.

°11 But his plan stands forever,

and his heart’s design through all generations.

°12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord –

the people he has chosen for his inheritance.

°13 The Lord looks down from heaven

and sees the whole race of mortals.

°14 From where he sits he watches

all those who dwell on the earth –

°15 he who fashions every heart

observes all their deeds.

°16 A king is not saved by a powerful army,

nor a warrior rescued by his great strength.

°17 Don’t think that a horse will save you;

its great strength does not assure victory.

°18 But the Lord’s eyes are upon those who fear him,

upon those who trust in his loving-kindness

°19 to deliver them from death

and preserve them from famine.

°20 In hope we wait for the Lord,

for he is our help and our shield.

°21 Our hearts rejoice in him,

for we trust in his holy name.

°22 O Lord, let your love rest upon us,

even as our hope rests in you.

PSALM ¤34 {33}

{Taste and see, etc.— Let our experience be that of the poor and the humble. God is near to those who have no other support but him. When there will be no assurance, God will be obliged to take charge of those to whom he owes fidelity.}

°2 I will bless the Lord all my days;

his praise will be ever on my lips.

°3 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;

let the lowly hear and rejoice.

°4 Oh, let us magnify the Lord,

together let us glorify his name!

°5 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;

from all my fears he delivered me.

°6 They who look to him are radiant with joy,

their faces never clouded with shame.

°7 When the poor cry out, the Lord hears

and saves them from distress.

°8 The Lord’s angel encamps and patrols

to keep safe those who fear him.

°9 Oh, see and taste the goodness of the Lord!

Blessed is the one who finds shelter in him!

°10 Revere the Lord, all you his saints,

for those who fear him do not live in want.

°11 The mighty may be hungry and in need,

but those who seek the Lord lack nothing.

°12 Come, listen to me, my children;

I will show you how to fear the Lord.

°13 If you desire long life,

if you want to enjoy prosperity,

°14 keep your tongue from falsehood,

keep your lips from deceit;

°15 turn away from evil and do good;

seek peace and pursue it.

°16 The eyes of the Lord are fixed on the righteous;

his ears are inclined to their cries.

°17 But his face is set against the wicked

to destroy their memory from the earth.

°18 The Lord hears the cry of the righteous

and rescues them from all their troubles.

°19 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted

and saves the distraught.

°20 Many are the troubles of the just,

but the Lord delivers them from all.

°21 He keeps all their bones intact,

and none of them will be broken.

°22 Evil will slay the wicked;

the enemies of the just will be doomed.

°23 But the Lord will redeem the life of his servants;

none of those who trust in him will be doomed.

PSALM ¤35 {34}

§ Prayer of a just person when persecuted.

°1 O Lord, attack those who attack me;

fight against those who fight against me.

°2 Come to my aid with armour and shield;

°3 stand with your spear and war ax, halt my pursuers. Say to my soul, “I am your deliverer.”

°4 Let them be shamed and dishonored, those who seek my life. Let them be routed and destroyed, those who plot my ruin.

°5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, when the Lord’s angel drives them away.

°6 Let their escape path be dark and precipitous, with the Lord’s angel always at their heels.

°7 They set their net against me for no cause, they dug a pit for me without reason.

°8 Let ruin come upon them unexpectedly, let them be entangled in their own snare; let them fall into the trap of their own making.

°9 Then will my soul rejoice in the Lord and exult in his salvation.

°10 My whole being will exclaim, “O Lord, who is like you? You deliver the oppressed from those too strong for them, you rescue the poor and the needy from their oppressors.”

°11 False witnesses take the stand, accusing me of crimes of which I am innocent.

°12 For my kindness they return evil, bringing my life to despair.

°13 When they were sick, I wore sackcloth and fasted; I prayed hard with head bowed,

°14 as if I were bereft of a friend or brother; I shed tears in grief, as one mourning the death of his mother.

°15 But when I stumbled they gathered in glee and, began to strike me; like strangers they disowned me and accused me falsely.

°16 Like an ungodly circle of mockers, they gnashed their teeth and made me the butt of all their ridicule.

°17 How long, O Lord, will you look on? Deliver my life, my only one, from these lions. °18 Then I will thank you in the great assembly; I will praise you in the mighty throng.

°19 Do not let them gloat over me – those who, unprovoked, have become my foes. Do not let them wink maliciously – those who hate me without cause.

°20 Sowing discontent with their tongue and mind, they devise false accusations against the peace-loving people of the land.

°21 They open wide their mouths against me: “Aha, aha!” they say, “We have seen it with our own eyes!”

°22 But you, O Lord, who have seen, do not keep silent. Do not stand far from me.

°23 Stir yourself up, stand up for my rights and my cause, my God and my Lord!

°24 Declare me innocent, O Lord, my God, according to your justice.

Let them not gloat over me.

°25 Never give them reason to say, “We have trampled him down!”

°26 Let them be utterly disgraced and confounded, who exult over my calamity. Let them be ashamed and dishonored, who rejoice at my distress.

°27 But let them be glad and rejoice, who are in sympathy with my cause. And may they ever say, “Great is the Lord, who has justified his servant.”

°28 Then will my tongue proclaim your righteousness, and sing your praises all day long.

PSALM ¤36 {35}

{The wickedness of the sinner and the goodness of God.— Even the wickedness of sinners urges us to trust in God’s goodness.}

°2 Wickedness speaks to the wicked in the depths of his heart: there is no fear of God before his eyes. °3 Blinded by conceit, he fails to see his guilt.

°4 With mouths full of malice and deceit, they no longer think of doing good.

°5 They plot mischief even in bed; committed to a life of sin, they know not how to reject evil.

°6 Your love, O God, reaches the heavens; your faithfulness, to the clouds.

°7 Your justice is like the mighty mountains; your judgment like the unfathomable deep. You preserve, O Lord, humans and beasts.

°8 How precious, O God, is your constant love! Mortals take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

°9 In your house they find rich food and they drink from your spring of delight.

°10 For with you is the fountain of life, in your light we see light.

°11 Bestow on your faithful your love and give salvation to the upright of heart.

°12 Let not the foot of the arrogant trample on me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

°13 But what! See how the evildoers lie fallen, flung down and never to rise again.

PSALM ¤37 {36}

{Happiness for the just, ruin for the wicked.— “Do not get worried when you think of the wicked.” Neither power nor riches give access to the inheritance that God promised to his children.}

°1 Do not be annoyed with evil people nor be envious of wrongdoers.

°2 For they will fade as any green herb and soon be gone like withered grass.

°3 Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and live on it.

°4 Make the Lord your delight, and he will grant your heart’s desire.

°5 Commit your way to the Lord; put your trust in him and let him act.

°6 Then will your revenge come, beautiful as the dawn, and the justification of your cause, bright as the noonday sun.

°7 Keep calm before the Lord, wait for him in patience; do not fret if others succeed when they carry out evil schemes.

°8 Refrain from anger, turn away from wrath; fret not, for it only leads to evil.

°9 Remember this: the wicked will perish, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

°10 Wait a moment: the wicked are no more. Though you look for them, they cannot be found;

°11 but the humble will inherit the land and enjoy peace in abundance.

°12 The wicked plot against the virtuous and gnash their teeth at them; °13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees their day coming.

°14 The wicked draw their swords and bend their bows; they aim at the poor and the afflicted, they get ready to slay the righteous.

°15 But their bows will be shattered; the sword thrust into their own heart.

°16 The little that the righteous possess is better than the abundance of the wicked.

°17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken, and the righteous will be upheld by the Lord.

°18 The Lord watches over the lives of the upright; forever will their inheritance abide.

°19 They are not crushed in times of calamity; when famine strikes, they still are satisfied.

°20 But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the Lord will vanish like smoke, disappear like the wild flowers.

°21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous have mercy and share.

°22 They will inherit the land – those whom the Lord blesses; but those whom the Lord curses he will cut off.

°23 The Lord is the one who makes people stand, he gives firmness to those he likes. °24 They may stumble, but they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.

°25 From my youth to old age, I have yet to see the righteous forsaken or their children begging for alms.

°26 He lends and gives, and his children are blessed. The whole day he succeeds.

°27 Do good and shun evil, so that you will live secure forever.

°28 For the Lord loves justice and right, and never forsakes his faithful ones. The wicked instead will perish and their breed will be cut off.

°29 The righteous will possess the land; they will make it their home forever.

°30 The mouth of the virtuous utters wisdom and his tongue speaks of what is right.

°31 His steps have never faltered, for the law of God is in his heart.

°32 The wicked spies on the just man and lies in wait to slay him.

°33 But the Lord does not hand him over, or let him be condemned when he is tried.

°34 Hope in the Lord and follow his way, for he will exalt you and give you the land. You will see how the wicked perish.

°35 I have seen an oppressor mighty, towering like a cedar of Lebanon.

°36 But when I passed by again, he was no longer there. I looked for him but could not find him.

°37 Mark the blameless, watch the upright, and you will see that there is a future for the person of peace.

°38 But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be shattered.

°39 The Lord is the salvation of the righteous; in time of distress, he is their refuge.

°40 The Lord helps them, and rescues them from the oppressor; he saves them for they sought shelter in him.

PSALM ¤38 {37}

{Prayer in time of trouble.— When illness or misfortune comes, we begin to reflect; we then discover that the greatest misfortune is to be a sinner.}

°2 O Lord, rebuke me not in your rage, punish me not in your fury.

°3 Your arrows have struck me; your hand has come down heavily upon me.

°4 Your anger has spared no part of my body, my sin gives no peace to my bones.

°5 For my transgressions overwhelm me; they weigh me down like an unbearable load.

°6 My wounds stink and fester within me, the outcome of my sinful folly.

°7 Stooped and bowed down, I go about mourning all day.

°8 My loins burn, my flesh is diseased, °9 my body, worn out and utterly crushed; I groan in pain and anguish of heart.

°10 All my longing, O Lord, is known to you; my sighing is not hidden from you.

°11 My heart pounds as my strength ebbs; even the light has deserted my eyes.

°12 My friends avoid me because of my wounds; my neighbors stay far off.

°13 Those who seek my life lay snares for me; those who wish to hurt me speak of my ruin and plot against me all day long.

°14 But like a deaf-mute, I neither hear nor open my mouth.

°15 I am like one whose ears hear not and whose mouth has no answer.

°16 For I put my trust in you, O Lord; you will answer for me, Lord God.

°17 I pray, “Don’t let them gloat over me, nor take advantage of my helplessness when my foot slips.”

°18 For I am about to fall, my pain is ever with me. °19 I confess my transgression, I repent of my sin.

°20 Many are my foes; many are those who hate me for no reason, °21 those who pay me evil for good and harass me because I seek good.

°22 Forsake me not, O Lord, stay not far from me, O my God.

°23 Come quickly to help me, O Lord, my savior!

PSALM ¤39 {38}

{We are nothing before God.— Although in giving us his Son, God has given us everything, we possess nothing and continue to wait for everything from his mercy. Show me how frail and fleeting is my life.}

°2 I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will muzzle my mouth in front of the wicked.”

°3 So I did. But as I kept silent, their happiness made my anguish grow.

°4 My heart began to burn within, and finally, I blurted out:

°5 “Lord, let me know when my end will come, let me know the number of my days; show me how frail and fleeting is my life.”

°6 You allow me to live but a short span; before you, all my years are nothing. Human existence is a mere whiff of breath.

°7 Humans are mere shadows that go about relentlessly. Being but a breath they toil and rake in wealth, not knowing who will take it next.

°8 But now, O Lord, what do I await? All my hope rests in you. °9 Rescue me from all my sins and let me not be derided by fools.

°10 I shall keep silent and not open my mouth, since this is your work.

°11 Only remove from me your scourge; for I am done in with your blows.

°12 When you want to correct the mortals and punish their sin, you eat like moth what they hold dear. Mortals are a mere puff of wind!

°13 Hear, O Lord, my supplication, listen to my cry for protection; do not be deaf to my lamentation. For I dwell with you as an alien, a pilgrim, as all my ancestors have been.

°14 Turn from me awhile, that I may find relief, before I depart and be no more.”

PSALM ¤40 {39}

{The Bible tells me to do your will.— The Letter to the Hebrews (10:5) places on the lips of Jesus verses 7-9 which express his perfect obedience. May we also be able to say: “Here I am!”}

°2 With resolve I waited for the Lord; he listened and heard me beg.

°3 Out of the horrid pit he drew me, out of deadly quicksand. He settled my feet upon a rock and made my steps steady.

°4 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and be awed and put their trust in the Lord.

°5 Blessed is the one who relies on the Lord and does not look to the proud nor go astray after false gods.

°6 How numerous, O Lord, are your wonderful deeds! In your marvelous plans for us you are beyond compare! How many they are – I cannot tell them or count their number.

°7 Sacrifice and oblation you did not desire; this you had me understand. Burnt offering and sin offering you do not require.

°8 Then I said, “Here I come! as the scroll says of me. °9 To do your will is my delight, O God, for your law is within my heart.”

°10 In the great assembly I have proclaimed your saving help. My lips, O Lord, I did not seal – you know that very well.

°11 I have not locked up in my heart your saving help, but have spoken about it – your deliverance and your faithfulness;

I have made no secret of your truth and of your kindness in the great assembly.

°12 Do not withhold from me, O Lord, your mercy; let your love and faithfulness preserve me constantly.

°13 For troubles beyond number have closed in on me; I am all covered by sins and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and I am losing courage.

°14 May it please you, O Lord, to rescue me. Make haste, O Lord, to help me!

°15 May those who seek my life be brought to shame and disgrace; may those who want me destroyed be turned back in confusion.

°16 May those who taunt me with, “Aha, aha!” be filled with shame and consternation.

°17 But may all those who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; and may all who love your saving grace continually say, “The Lord is great.”

°18 Though I am afflicted and poor, yet the Lord thinks of me. You are my help and my savior – O Lord, do not delay!

PSALM ¤41 {40}

{Prayer of an abandoned sick person.— Sick, ridiculed, betrayed: such is the one who says this prayer. Perhaps we know him and he is beside us waiting for our support.}

°2 Blessed the one who has regard for the poor;

the Lord delivers him in time of trouble.

°3 The Lord protects him, preserves his life,

and gives him happiness in the land;

he yields him not to the will of his foes.

°4 The Lord helps him when he gets sick,

and heals him of all his ailments.

°5 I have pleaded, “O Lord, have mercy on me;

heal me, in spite of all my iniquity.”

°6 My enemies ask of me in malice,

“When will he die and his name perish?”

When they come in to see,