Psalms For Long Life

Psalm 30

A Psalm of David.

A song at the dedication of the Temple.

1 I will extol thee, O Lord,

for thou hast drawn me up,

and hast not let my foes rejoice over me.

2 O Lord my God, I cried to thee for help,

and thou hast healed me.

3 O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol,

restored me to life

from among those gone down to the Pit.

4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints,

and give thanks to His holy name.

5 For His anger is but for a moment,

and His favour is for a lifetime.

Weeping may tarry for the night,

but joy comes with the morning.

6 As for me, I said in my prosperity,

"I shall never be moved."

7 By thy favour, O Lord,

thou hadst established me

as a strong mountain;

thou didst hide thy face,

I was dismayed.

8 To thee, O Lord, I cried;

and to the Lord I made supplication:

9 "What profit is there in my death,

if I go down to the pit?

Will the dust praise thee?

Will it tell of thy faithfulness?

10 Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me!

O Lord, be thou my helper!"

11 Thou hast turned for me

my mourning into dancing;

thou hast loosed my sackcloth

and girded me with gladness,

12 that my soul may praise thee

and not be silent.

O Lord my God,

I will give thanks to thee forever.

Psalm 31

A Psalm of David.

To the choirmaster.

1 In thee, O Lord, do I seek refuge;

let me never be put to shame;

in thy righteousness deliver me!

2 Incline thy ear to me,

rescue me speedily!

Be thou a rock of refuge for me,

a strong fortress to save me!

3 Yea, thou art my rock and my fortress;

for thy name's sake lead me and guide me,

4 take me out of the net which is hidden for me,

for thou art my refuge.

5 Into thy hand I commit my spirit;

thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.

6 Thou hatest those who pay regard to vain idols;

but I trust in the Lord.

7 I will rejoice and be glad for thy steadfast love,

because thou hast seen my affliction,

thou hast taken heed of my adversities,

8 and hast not delivered me into the hand of

the enemy;

thou hast set my feet in a broad place.

9 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress;

my eye is wasted from grief,

my soul and my body also.

10 For my life is spent with sorrow,

and my years with sighing;

my strength fails because of my misery,

and my bones waste away.

11 I am the scorn of all my adversaries,

a horror to my neighbours,

an object of dread to my acquaintances;

those who see me in the street flee from me.

12 I have passed out of mind like one who is dead;

I have become like a broken vessel.

13 Yea, I hear the whispering of many—

terror on every side! –

as they scheme together against me,

as they plot to take my life.

14 But I trust in thee, O Lord,

I say, "Thou art my God."

15 My times are in thy hand;

deliver me from the hand of my enemies

and persecutors!

16 Let thy face shine on thy servant;

save me in thy steadfast love!

17 Let me not be put to shame, O Lord,

for I call on thee;

let the wicked be put to shame,

let them go dumbfounded to Sheol.

18 Let the lying lips be dumb,

which speak insolently against the righteous

in pride and contempt.

19 O how abundant is thy goodness,

which thou hast laid up for those who fear thee,

and wrought for those who take refuge in thee,

in the sight of the sons of men!

20 In the covert of thy presence thou hidest them

from the plots of men;

thou holdest them safe under thy shelter

from the strife of tongues.

21 Blessed be the Lord,

for he has wondrously shown his steadfast

love to me

when I was beset as in a besieged city.

22 I had said in my alarm,

"I am driven far from thy sight."

But thou didst hear my supplications,

when I cried to thee for help.

23 Love the Lord, all you His saints!

The Lord preserves the faithful,

but abundantly requites him who acts haughtily.

24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage,

all you who wait for the Lord!

Psalm 61

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 forever!

Oh to be safe under the shelter of thy wings!

5 For thou, O God, hast heard my vows,

thou hast given me the heritage of those

who love thy name.

6 Prolong the life of the king;

may his years endure to all generations!

7 May he be enthroned forever 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.

Psalm 88

A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath Leannoth.

A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.

1 O Lord, my God, I call for help by day;

I cry out in the night before thee.

2 Let my prayer come before thee,

incline thy ear to my cry!

3 For my soul is full of troubles,

and my life draws near to Sheol.

4 I am reckoned among those who go down to

the Pit;

I am a man who has no strength,

5 like one forsaken among the dead,

like the slain that lie in the grave,

like those whom thou dost remember no more,

for they are cut off from thy hand.

6 Thou hast put me in the depths of the Pit,

in the regions dark and deep.

7 Thy wrath lies heavy upon me,

and thou dost overwhelm me

with all thy waves.

8 Thou hast caused my companions to shun me;

thou hast made me a thing of horror to them.

I am shut in so that I cannot escape;

9 my eye grows dim through sorrow.

Every day I call upon thee, O Lord;

I spread out my hands to thee.

10 Dost thou work wonders for the dead?

Do the shades rise up to praise thee?

11 Is thy steadfast love declared in the grave,

or thy faithfulness in Abaddon?

12 Are thy wonders known in the darkness,

or thy saving help in the land of forgetfulness?

13 But I, O Lord, cry to thee;

in the morning my prayer comes before thee.

14 O Lord, why dost thou cast me off?

Why dost thou hide thy face from me?

15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,

I suffer thy terrors; I am helpless.

16 Thy wrath has swept over me;

thy dread assaults destroy me.

17 They surround me like a flood all day long;

they close in upon me together.

18 Thou hast caused lover and friend to shun me;

my companions are in darkness.