I will instruct and teach you ¹  about how you should live. ²  I will advise you as I look you in the eye. ³ 

As for you, the one who lives ²  in the shelter of the sovereign One, ³  and resides in the protective shadow ⁴  of the mighty king ⁵  –

As for his people, ¹  he turned ²  a desert into a pool of water, and a dry land into springs of water.

As a demonstration of your loyal love, ¹  destroy my enemies! Annihilate ²  all who threaten my life, ³  for I am your servant.

May there be ¹  an abundance ²  of grain in the earth; on the tops ³  of the mountains may it ⁴  sway! ⁵  May its ⁶  fruit trees ⁷  flourish ⁸  like the forests of Lebanon! ⁹  May its crops be as abundant as the grass of the earth!

Hear my prayer, O Lord! Listen to my cry for help! Do not ignore my sobbing! ¹  For I am dependent on you, like one residing outside his native land; I am at your mercy, just as all my ancestors were. ² 

God, the one who has reigned as king from long ago, will hear and humiliate them. ¹  (Selah) They refuse to change, and do not fear God. ² 

when you deliver ¹  my life from death. You keep my feet from stumbling, ²  so that I might serve ³  God as I enjoy life. ⁴ 

For the music director; according to the tune of “Lilies;” ²  by the Korahites, a well-written poem, ³  a love song. My heart is stirred by a beautiful song. ⁴  I say, “I have composed this special song ⁵  for the king; my tongue is as skilled as the stylus of an experienced scribe.” ⁶ 

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine ¹  in the inner rooms of your house; your children ²  will be like olive branches, as they sit all around your table.

I will remember and weep! ¹  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. ² 

As for me, I will sing about your strength; I will praise your loyal love in the morning. For you are my refuge ¹  and my place of shelter when I face trouble. ² 

They will travel to Sheol like sheep, ¹  with death as their shepherd. ²  The godly will rule ³  over them when the day of vindication dawns; ⁴  Sheol will consume their bodies and they will no longer live in impressive houses. ⁵ 

But you, O God, will bring them ¹  down to the deep Pit. ²  Violent and deceitful people ³  will not live even half a normal lifespan. ⁴  But as for me, I trust in you.

The prayer of an oppressed man, as he grows faint and pours out his lament before the Lord. O Lord, hear my prayer! Pay attention to my cry for help! ² 

For my life nears its end in pain; my years draw to a close as I groan. ¹  My strength fails me because of ²  my sin, and my bones become brittle. ³ 

You are awe-inspiring, O God, as you emerge from your holy temple! ¹  It is the God of Israel ²  who gives the people power and strength. God deserves praise! ³ 

Sound your battle cry ¹  against the wild beast of the reeds, ²  and the nations that assemble like a herd of calves led by bulls! ³  They humble themselves ⁴  and offer gold and silver as tribute. ⁵  God ⁶  scatters ⁷  the nations that like to do battle.

Like the fire that burns down the forest, or the flames that consume the mountainsides, ¹ 

He says, ¹  “Do not be stubborn like they were at Meribah, ²  like they were that day at Massah ³  in the wilderness, ⁴