Psalms 40:1--42:11

Psalm 40

For the music director; By David, a psalm.

40:1 I relied completely on the Lord,

and he turned toward me

and heard my cry for help.

40:2 He lifted me out of the watery pit,

out of the slimy mud.

He placed my feet on a rock

and gave me secure footing.

40:3 He gave me reason to sing a new song,

praising our God.

May many see what God has done,

so that they might swear allegiance to him and trust in the Lord!

40:4 How blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord

and does not seek help from the proud or from liars!

40:5 O Lord, my God, you have accomplished many things;

you have done amazing things and carried out your purposes for us.

No one can thwart you!

I want to declare them and talk about them,

but they are too numerous to recount!

40:6 Receiving sacrifices and offerings are not your primary concern.

You make that quite clear to me!

You do not ask for burnt sacrifices and sin offerings.

40:7 Then I say,

“Look! I come!

What is written in the scroll pertains to me.

40:8 I want to do what pleases you, my God.

Your law dominates my thoughts.”

40:9 I have told the great assembly about your justice.

Look! I spare no words!

O Lord, you know this is true.

40:10 I have not failed to tell about your justice;

I spoke about your reliability and deliverance;

I have not neglected to tell the great assembly about your loyal love and faithfulness.

40:11 O Lord, you do not withhold your compassion from me.

May your loyal love and faithfulness continually protect me!

40:12 For innumerable dangers surround me.

My sins overtake me

so I am unable to see;

they outnumber the hairs of my head

so my strength fails me.

40:13 Please be willing, O Lord, to rescue me!

O Lord, hurry and help me!

40:14 May those who are trying to snatch away my life

be totally embarrassed and ashamed!

May those who want to harm me

be turned back and ashamed!

40:15 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”

be humiliated and disgraced!

40:16 May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you!

May those who love to experience your deliverance say continually,

“May the Lord be praised!”

40:17 I am oppressed and needy!

May the Lord pay attention to me!

You are my helper and my deliverer!

O my God, do not delay!

Psalm 41

For the music director; a psalm of David.

41:1 How blessed is the one who treats the poor properly!

When trouble comes, the Lord delivers him.

41:2 May the Lord protect him and save his life!

May he be blessed in the land!

Do not turn him over to his enemies!

41:3 The Lord supports him on his sickbed;

you completely heal him from his illness.

41:4 As for me, I said:

“O Lord, have mercy on me!

Heal me, for I have sinned against you!

41:5 My enemies ask this cruel question about me,

‘When will he finally die and be forgotten?’

41:6 When someone comes to visit, he pretends to be friendly;

he thinks of ways to defame me,

and when he leaves he slanders me.

41:7 All who hate me whisper insults about me to one another;

they plan ways to harm me.

41:8 They say,

‘An awful disease overwhelms him,

and now that he is bed-ridden he will never recover.’

41:9 Even my close friend whom I trusted,

he who shared meals with me, has turned against me.

41:10 As for you, O Lord, have mercy on me and raise me up,

so I can pay them back!”

41:11 By this I know that you are pleased with me,

for my enemy does not triumph over me.

41:12 As for me, you uphold me because of my integrity;

you allow me permanent access to your presence.

41:13 The Lord God of Israel deserves praise

in the future and forevermore!

We agree! We agree!

Book 2
(Psalms 42-72)

Psalm 42

For the music director; a well-written song by the Korahites.

42:1 As a deer longs for streams of water,

so I long for you, O God!

42:2 I thirst for God,

for the living God.

I say, “When will I be able to go and appear in God’s presence?”

42:3 I cannot eat, I weep day and night;

all day long they say to me, “Where is your God?”

42:4 I will remember and weep!

For I was once walking along with the great throng to the temple of God,

shouting and giving thanks along with the crowd as we celebrated the holy festival.

42:5 Why are you depressed, O my soul?

Why are you upset?

Wait for God!

For I will again give thanks

to my God for his saving intervention.

42:6 I am depressed,

so I will pray to you while I am trapped here in the region of the upper Jordan,

from Hermon, from Mount Mizar.

42:7 One deep stream calls out to another at the sound of your waterfalls;

all your billows and waves overwhelm me.

42:8 By day the Lord decrees his loyal love,

and by night he gives me a song,

a prayer to the living God.

42:9 I will pray to God, my high ridge:

“Why do you ignore me?

Why must I walk around mourning

because my enemies oppress me?”

42:10 My enemies’ taunts cut into me to the bone,

as they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

42:11 Why are you depressed, O my soul?

Why are you upset?

Wait for God!

For I will again give thanks

to my God for his saving intervention.