Psalm 28-31

English Standard Version

³ Do not ^(G)drag me off with the wicked,
    with the workers of evil,
^(H)who speak peace with their neighbors
    while evil is in their hearts.
^4 (I)Give to them according to their work
    and according to the evil of their deeds;
give to them according to the work of their hands;
    ^(J)render them their due reward.
⁵ Because they ^(K)do not regard the works of the Lord
    or the work of his hands,
he will tear them down and build them up no more.

⁶ Blessed be the Lord!
    For he has ^(L)heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
⁷ The Lord is my strength and ^(M)my shield;
    in him my heart ^(N)trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
    and with my ^(O)song I give thanks to him.

⁸ The Lord is the strength of his people;^[b]
    he is ^(P)the saving refuge of his anointed.
⁹ Oh, save your people and bless ^(Q)your heritage!
    ^(R)Be their shepherd and ^(S)carry them forever.

³ The voice of the Lord is over ^(V)the waters;
    the God of glory ^(W)thunders,
    the Lord, over many waters.
⁴ The voice of the Lord is ^(X)powerful;
    the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

⁵ The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks ^(Y)the cedars of Lebanon.
⁶ He makes Lebanon to ^(Z)skip like a calf,
    and ^(AA)Sirion like a young ^(AB)wild ox.

⁷ The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
⁸ The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
    the Lord shakes the wilderness of ^(AC)Kadesh.

⁹ The voice of the Lord makes ^(AD)the deer give birth^[e]
    and strips the forests bare,
    and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

¹⁰ The Lord sits enthroned over ^(AE)the flood;
    the Lord sits enthroned ^(AF)as king forever.
¹¹ May the Lord give ^(AG)strength to his people!
    May the Lord bless^[f] his people with ^(AH)peace!

⁴ Sing praises to the Lord, O you ^(AP)his saints,
    and ^(AQ)give thanks to his holy name.^[h]
5 (AR)For his anger is but for a moment,
    and ^(AS)his favor is for a lifetime.^[i]
(AT)Weeping may tarry for the night,
    but ^(AU)joy comes with the morning.

⁶ As for me, I said in my ^(AV)prosperity,
    “I shall never be ^(AW)moved.”
⁷ By your favor, O Lord,
    you made my ^(AX)mountain stand strong;
you ^(AY)hid your face;
    I was ^(AZ)dismayed.

⁸ To you, O Lord, I cry,
    and ^(BA)to the Lord I plead for mercy:
⁹ “What profit is there in my death,^[j]
    if I go down to the pit?^[k]
Will ^(BB)the dust praise you?
    Will it tell of your faithfulness?
^10 (BC)Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me!
    O Lord, be my helper!”

¹¹ You have turned for me my mourning into ^(BD)dancing;
    you have loosed my sackcloth
    and clothed me with gladness,
¹² that my ^(BE)glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
    O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

³ For you are my rock and my fortress;
    and for your ^(BL)name's sake you lead me and guide me;
⁴ you ^(BM)take me out of ^(BN)the net they have hidden for me,
    for you are my ^(BO)refuge.
^5 (BP)Into your hand I commit my spirit;
    you have redeemed me, O Lord, ^(BQ)faithful God.

⁶ I ^(BR)hate^[l] those who pay ^(BS)regard to worthless ^(BT)idols,
    but I trust in the Lord.
⁷ I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love,
    because you have seen my affliction;
    you have ^(BU)known the distress of my soul,
⁸ and you have not ^(BV)delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
    you have set my feet in ^(BW)a broad place.

⁹ Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am ^(BX)in distress;
    ^(BY)my eye is wasted from grief;
    my soul and my body also.
¹⁰ For my life is spent with sorrow,
    and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my iniquity,
    and ^(BZ)my bones waste away.

¹¹ Because of all my adversaries I have become ^(CA)a reproach,
    especially to my ^(CB)neighbors,
and an object of dread to my acquaintances;
    those who see me in the street ^(CC)flee from me.
¹² I have been ^(CD)forgotten like one who is dead;
    I have become like ^(CE)a broken vessel.
¹³ For I ^(CF)hear the whispering of many—
    terror on every side!—
^(CG)as they scheme together against me,
    as they plot to take my life.

¹⁴ But I ^(CH)trust in you, O Lord;
    I say, “You are my God.”
¹⁵ My ^(CI)times are in your hand;
    ^(CJ)rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!
^16 (CK)Make your face shine on your servant;
    save me in your steadfast love!
¹⁷ O Lord, ^(CL)let me not be put to shame,
    for I call upon you;
let the wicked be put to shame;
    let them go ^(CM)silently to Sheol.
¹⁸ Let the lying lips be mute,
    which ^(CN)speak ^(CO)insolently against the righteous
    in pride and contempt.

¹⁹ Oh, how abundant is your goodness,
    which you have stored up for those who fear you
and worked for those who take refuge in you,
    ^(CP)in the sight of the children of mankind!
²⁰ In ^(CQ)the cover of your presence you hide them
    from the plots of men;
you ^(CR)store them in your shelter
    from the strife of tongues.

²¹ Blessed be the Lord,
    for he has wondrously ^(CS)shown his steadfast love to me
    when I was in ^(CT)a besieged city.
²² I had said in my ^(CU)alarm,^[m]
    “I am ^(CV)cut off from ^(CW)your sight.”
But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy
    when I cried to you for help.

²³ Love the Lord, all you his ^(CX)saints!
    The Lord preserves the faithful
    but abundantly ^(CY)repays the one who acts in pride.
^24 (CZ)Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
    all you who wait for the Lord!