For the music director; a psalm of David.
31:1 In you, O Lord, I have taken shelter!
Never let me be humiliated!
Vindicate me by rescuing me!
31:2 Listen to me!
Quickly deliver me!
Be my protector and refuge,
a stronghold where I can be safe!
31:3 For you are my high ridge and my stronghold;
for the sake of your own reputation you lead me and guide me.
31:4 You will free me from the net they hid for me,
for you are my place of refuge.
31:5 Into your hand I entrust my life;
you will rescue me, O Lord, the faithful God.
31:6 I hate those who serve worthless idols,
but I trust in the Lord.
31:7 I will be happy and rejoice in your faithfulness,
because you notice my pain
and you are aware of how distressed I am.
31:8 You do not deliver me over to the power of the enemy;
you enable me to stand in a wide open place.
31:9 Have mercy on me, for I am in distress!
My eyes grow dim from suffering.
I have lost my strength.
31:10 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.
31:11 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.
31:12 I am forgotten, like a dead man no one thinks about;
I am regarded as worthless, like a broken jar.
31:13 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.
31:14 But I trust in you, O Lord!
I declare, “You are my God!”
31:15 You determine my destiny!
Rescue me from the power of my enemies and those who chase me.
31:16 Smile on your servant!
Deliver me because of your faithfulness!
31:17 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!
31:18 May lying lips be silenced –
lips that speak defiantly against the innocent
with arrogance and contempt!
31:19 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.
31:20 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.
31:21 The Lord deserves praise
for he demonstrated his amazing faithfulness to me when I was besieged by enemies.
31:22 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.
31:23 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.
31:24 Be strong and confident,
all you who wait on the Lord!
By David; a well-written song.
32:1 How blessed is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven,
whose sin is pardoned!
32:2 How blessed is the one whose wrongdoing the Lord does not punish,
in whose spirit there is no deceit.
32:3 When I refused to confess my sin,
my whole body wasted away,
while I groaned in pain all day long.
32:4 For day and night you tormented me;
you tried to destroy me in the intense heat of summer. (Selah)
32:5 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)
32:6 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.
32:7 You are my hiding place;
you protect me from distress.
You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance. (Selah)
32:8 I will instruct and teach you about how you should live.
I will advise you as I look you in the eye.
32:9 Do not be like an unintelligent horse or mule,
which will not obey you
unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit.
32:10 An evil person suffers much pain,
but the Lord’s faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him.
32:11 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.
33:2 Give thanks to the Lord with the harp!
Sing to him to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument!
33:3 Sing to him a new song!
Play skillfully as you shout out your praises to him!
33:4 For the Lord’s decrees are just,
and everything he does is fair.
33:5 The Lord promotes equity and justice;
the Lord’s faithfulness extends throughout the earth.
33:6 By the Lord’s decree the heavens were made;
by a mere word from his mouth all the stars in the sky were created.
33:7 He piles up the water of the sea;
he puts the oceans in storehouses.
33:8 Let the whole earth fear the Lord!
Let all who live in the world stand in awe of him!
33:9 For he spoke, and it came into existence,
he issued the decree, and it stood firm.
33:10 The Lord frustrates the decisions of the nations;
he nullifies the plans of the peoples.
33:11 The Lord’s decisions stand forever;
his plans abide throughout the ages.
33:12 How blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen to be his special possession.
33:13 The Lord watches from heaven;
he sees all people.
33:14 From the place where he lives he looks carefully
at all the earth’s inhabitants.
33:15 He is the one who forms every human heart,
and takes note of all their actions.
33:16 No king is delivered by his vast army;
a warrior is not saved by his great might.
33:17 A horse disappoints those who trust in it for victory;
despite its great strength, it cannot deliver.
33:18 Look, the Lord takes notice of his loyal followers,
those who wait for him to demonstrate his faithfulness
33:19 by saving their lives from death
and sustaining them during times of famine.
33:20 We wait for the Lord;
he is our deliverer and shield.
33:21 For our hearts rejoice in him,
for we trust in his holy name.
33:22 May we experience your faithfulness, O Lord,
for we wait for you.