Psalm 138

Give Thanks to the Lord

Of David.

1  I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
2  I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.t
3  On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.t

4  All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
5  and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
6  For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.

7  Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your right hand delivers me.
8  The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Psalm 139

Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1  O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2  You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3  You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4  Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
5  You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.

7  Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8  If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9  If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10  even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
11  If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,"
12  even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.

13  For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
14  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.t
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15  My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16  Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

17  How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18  If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.

19  Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
O men of blood, depart from me!
20  They speak against you with malicious intent;
your enemies take your name in vain!t
21  Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
22  I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.

23  Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!t
24  And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!t

Psalm 140

Deliver Me, O Lord, from Evil Men

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1  Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men;
preserve me from violent men,
2  who plan evil things in their heart
and stir up wars continually.
3  They make their tongue sharp as a serpent's,
and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah

4  Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
preserve me from violent men,
who have planned to trip up my feet.
5  The arrogant have hidden a trap for me,
and with cords they have spread a net;t
beside the way they have set snares for me. Selah

6  I say to the Lord, You are my God;
give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord!
7  O Lord, my Lord, the strength of my salvation,
you have covered my head in the day of battle.
8  Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
do not further theirt evil plot, or they will be exalted! Selah

9  As for the head of those who surround me,
let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!
10  Let burning coals fall upon them!
Let them be cast into fire,
into miry pits, no more to rise!
11  Let not the slanderer be established in the land;
let evil hunt down the violent man speedily!

12  I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
and will execute justice for the needy.
13  Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
the upright shall dwell in your presence.