The Next Testament

Psalms: The Forsaken Cry, and the Shepherd (Psalms 21–30)

Scripture: Berean Standard Bible

Psalm 21

For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

O LORD, the king rejoices in your strength.How greatly he exults in your salvation!You have granted his heart’s desireand have not withheld the request of his lips.SelahFor you welcomed him with rich blessings;you placed on his head a crown of pure gold.He asked you for life, and you granted it—length of days, forever and ever.
Great is his glory in your salvation;you bestow on him splendor and majesty.For you grant him blessings forever;you cheer him with joy in your presence.For the king trusts in the LORD;through the loving devotion of the Most High,he will not be shaken.
Your hand will apprehend all your enemies;your right hand will seize those who hate you.You will place them in a fiery furnaceat the time of your appearing.
In his wrath the LORD will engulf them,and the fire will consume them.You will wipe their descendants from the earth,and their offspring from the sons of men.
Though they intend you harm,the schemes they devise will not prevail.For you will put them to flightwhen your bow is trained upon them.
Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength;we will sing and praise your power.
Psalm 22

For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David.

My God, my God,why have you forsaken me?Why are you so far from saving me,so far from my words of groaning?I cry out by day, O my God,but you do not answer,and by night,but I have no rest.
Yet you are holy,enthroned on the praises of Israel.In you our fathers trusted;they trusted and you delivered them.They cried out to you and were set free;they trusted in you and were not disappointed.
But I am a worm and not a man,scorned by men and despised by the people.All who see me mock me;they sneer and shake their heads:“He trusts in the LORD,let the LORD deliver him;let the LORD rescue him,since he delights in him.”
Yet you brought me forth from the womb;you made me secure at my mother’s breast.From birth I was cast upon you;from my mother’s womb you have been my God.Be not far from me,for trouble is nearand there is no one to help.
Many bulls surround me;strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.They open their jaws against melike lions that roar and maul.I am poured out like water,and all my bones are disjointed.My heart is like wax;it melts away within me.My strength is dried up like a potsherd,and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.You lay me in the dust of death.
For dogs surround me;a band of evil men encircles me;they have pierced my hands and feet.I can count all my bones;they stare and gloat over me.They divide my garments among themand cast lots for my clothing.
But you, O LORD, be not far off;O my Strength, come quickly to help me.Deliver my soul from the sword,my precious life from the power of wild dogs.Save me from the mouth of the lion;at the horns of the wild oxen you have answered me!
I will proclaim your name to my brothers;I will praise you in the assembly.You who fear the LORD, praise him!All descendants of Jacob, honor him!All offspring of Israel, revere him!For he has not despised or detestedthe torment of the afflicted.He has not hidden his face from him,but has attended to his cry for help.
My praise for you resounds in the great assembly;I will fulfill my vows before those who fear you.The poor will eat and be satisfied;those who seek the LORD will praise him.May your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earthwill remember and turn to the LORD.All the families of the nationswill bow down before him.For dominion belongs to the LORDand he rules over the nations.All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—even those unable to preserve their lives.Posterity will serve him;they will declare the Lord to a new generation.They will come and proclaim his righteousnessto a people yet unborn—all that he has done.
Psalm 23

A Psalm of David.

The LORD is my shepherd;I shall not want.He makes me lie down in green pastures;he leads me beside quiet waters.He restores my soul;he guides me in the paths of righteousnessfor the sake of his name.Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil,for you are with me;your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before mein the presence of my enemies.You anoint my head with oil;my cup overflows.Surely goodness and mercy will follow meall the days of my life,and I will dwell in the house of the LORDforever.
Psalm 24

A Psalm of David.

The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof,the world and all who dwell therein.For he has founded it upon the seasand established it upon the waters.
Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?Who may stand in his holy place?He who has clean hands and a pure heart,who does not lift up his soul to an idolor swear deceitfully.He will receive blessing from the LORDand vindication from the God of his salvation.Such is the generation of those who seek him,who seek your face, O God of Jacob.SelahLift up your heads, O gates!Be lifted up, O ancient doors,that the King of Glory may enter!Who is this King of Glory?The LORD strong and mighty,the LORD mighty in battle.Lift up your heads, O gates!Be lifted up, O ancient doors,that the King of Glory may enter!Who is he, this King of Glory?The LORD of Hosts—he is the King of Glory.Selah
Psalm 25

Of David.

To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;in you, my God, I trust.Do not let me be put to shame;do not let my enemies exult over me.Surely none who wait for you will be put to shame;but those who are faithless without cause will be disgraced.
Show me your ways, O LORD;teach me your paths.Guide me in your truth and teach me,for you are the God of my salvation;all day long I wait for you.Remember, O LORD, your compassion and loving devotion,for they are from age to age.Remember not the sins of my youth,nor my rebellious acts;remember me according to your loving devotion,because of your goodness, O LORD.
Good and upright is the LORD;therefore he shows sinners the way.He guides the humble in what is rightand teaches them his way.All the LORD’s ways are loving and faithfulto those who keep his covenant and his decrees.For the sake of your name, O LORD,forgive my iniquity, for it is great.
Who is the man who fears the LORD?He will instruct him in the path chosen for him.His soul will dwell in prosperity,and his descendants will inherit the land.The LORD confides in those who fear him,and reveals his covenant to them.My eyes are always on the LORD,for he will free my feet from the mesh.
Turn to me and be gracious,for I am lonely and afflicted.The troubles of my heart increase;free me from my distress.Consider my affliction and trouble,and take away all my sins.Consider my enemies, for they are many,and they hate me with vicious hatred.
Guard my soul and deliver me;let me not be put to shame,for I take refuge in you.May integrity and uprightness preserve me,because I wait for you.
Redeem Israel, O God,from all its distress.
Psalm 26

Of David.

Vindicate me, O LORD!
For I have walked with integrity;I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.Test me, O LORD, and try me;examine my heart and mind.For your loving devotion is before my eyes,and I have walked in your truth.
I do not sit with deceitful men,nor keep company with hypocrites.I hate the mob of evildoers,and refuse to sit with the wicked.I wash my hands in innocencethat I may go about your altar, O LORD,to raise my voice in thanksgivingand declare all your wonderful works.
O LORD, I love the house where you dwell,the place where your glory resides.Do not take my soul away with sinners,or my life with men of bloodshed,in whose hands are wicked schemes,whose right hands are full of bribes.
But I will walk with integrity;redeem me and be merciful to me.My feet stand on level ground;in the congregations I will bless the LORD.
Psalm 27

Of David.

The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?The LORD is the stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread?When the wicked came upon me to devour my flesh,my enemies and foes stumbled and fell.Though an army encamps around me,my heart will not fear;though a war breaks out against me,I will keep my trust.
One thing I have asked of the LORD;this is what I desire:to dwell in the house of the LORDall the days of my life,to gaze on the beauty of the LORDand seek him in his temple.For in the day of troublehe will hide me in his shelter;he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;he will set me high upon a rock.Then my head will be held highabove my enemies around me.At his tabernacle I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy;I will sing and make music to the LORD.
Hear, O LORD, my voice when I call;be merciful and answer me.My heart said, “Seek his face.”Your face, O LORD, I will seek.Hide not your face from me,nor turn away your servant in anger.You have been my helper;do not leave me or forsake me,O God of my salvation.
Though my father and mother forsake me,the LORD will receive me.Teach me your way, O LORD,and lead me on a level path,because of my oppressors.Do not hand me over to the will of my foes,for false witnesses rise up against me,breathing out violence.
Still I am certain to seethe goodness of the LORDin the land of the living.Wait patiently for the LORD;be strong and courageous.
Wait patiently for the LORD!
Psalm 28

Of David.

To you, O LORD, I call;be not deaf to me, O my Rock.For if you remain silent,I will be like those descending to the Pit.Hear my cry for mercywhen I call to you for help,when I lift up my handstoward your holy sanctuary.
Do not drag me away with the wicked,and with the workers of iniquity,who speak peace to their neighborswhile malice is in their hearts.Repay them according to their deedsand for their works of evil.Repay them for what their hands have done;bring back on them what they deserve.Since they show no regard for the works of the LORDor what his hands have done,he will tear them downand never rebuild them.
Blessed be the LORD,for he has heard my cry for mercy.The LORD is my strength and my shield;my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.Therefore my heart rejoices,and I give thanks to him with my song.
The LORD is the strength of his people,a stronghold of salvation for his anointed.Save your people and bless your inheritance;shepherd them and carry them forever.
Psalm 29

A Psalm of David.

Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.
The voice of the LORD is over the waters;the God of glory thunders;the LORD is heard over many waters.The voice of the LORD is powerful;the voice of the LORD is majestic.The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;the LORD shatters the cedars of Lebanon.He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,and Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the LORDstrikes with flames of fire.The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;the LORD shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.The voice of the LORD twists the oaksand strips the forests bare.And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;the LORD is enthroned as King forever.The LORD gives his people strength;the LORD blesses his people with peace.
Psalm 30

A Psalm. A song for the dedication of the temple. Of David.

I will exalt you, O LORD,for you have lifted me upand have not allowed my foesto rejoice over me.O LORD my God, I cried to you for help,and you healed me.O LORD, you pulled me up from Sheol;you spared me from descending into the Pit.
Sing to the LORD, O you his saints,and praise his holy name.For his anger is fleeting,but his favor lasts a lifetime.Weeping may stay the night,but joy comes in the morning.
In prosperity I said,“I will never be shaken.”O LORD, you favored me;you made my mountain stand strong.
When you hid your face,I was dismayed.To you, O LORD, I called,and I begged my Lord for mercy:“What gain is there in my bloodshed,in my descent to the Pit?Will the dust praise you?Will it proclaim your faithfulness?Hear me, O LORD, and have mercy;O LORD, be my helper.”
You turned my mourning into dancing;you peeled off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.O LORD my God, I will give thanks forever.