Praying Through the Psalms in 15 Days

¹ Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.

² But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.

³ He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does.

⁴ Not so the wicked! For they are like chaff driven off by the wind.

⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶ For the LORD guards the path of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

¹ Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?

² The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One:

³ “Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords.”

⁴ The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord taunts them.

⁵ Then He rebukes them in His anger, and terrifies them in His fury:

⁶ “I have installed My King on Zion, upon My holy mountain.”

⁷ I will proclaim the decree spoken to Me by the LORD: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.

⁸ Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession.

⁹ You will break them with an iron scepter; You will shatter them like pottery.”

¹⁰ Therefore be wise, O kings; be admonished, O judges of the earth.

¹¹ Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

¹² Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in your rebellion, when His wrath ignites in an instant. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

¹ O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens.

² From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise on account of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and avenger.

³ When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place—

⁴ what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him?

⁵ You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor.

⁶ You made him ruler of the works of Your hands; You have placed everything under his feet:

⁷ all sheep and oxen, and even the beasts of the field,

⁸ the birds of the air and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.

⁹ O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!

¹ How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?

² How long must I wrestle in my soul, with sorrow in my heart each day? How long will my enemy dominate me?

³ Consider me and respond, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death,

⁴ lest my enemy say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes rejoice when I fall.

⁵ But I have trusted in Your loving devotion; my heart will rejoice in Your salvation.

⁶ I will sing to the LORD, for He has been good to me.

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

² Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.

³ Without speech or language, without a sound to be heard,

⁴ their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun.

⁵ Like a bridegroom emerging from his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course,

⁶ it rises at one end of the heavens and runs its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.

⁷ The Law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy, making wise the simple.

⁸ The precepts of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart; the commandments of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

⁹ The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true, being altogether righteous.

¹⁰ They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.

¹¹ By them indeed Your servant is warned; in keeping them is great reward.

¹² Who can discern his own errors? Cleanse me from my hidden faults.

¹³ Keep Your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless and cleansed of great transgression.

¹⁴ May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

¹ My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning?

² I cry out by day, O my God, but You do not answer, and by night, but I have no rest.

³ Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.

⁴ In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You delivered them.

⁵ They cried out to You and were set free; they trusted in You and were not disappointed.

⁶ But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.

⁷ All who see me mock me; they sneer and shake their heads:

⁸ “He trusts in the LORD, let the LORD deliver him; let the LORD rescue him, since He delights in him.”

⁹ Yet You brought me forth from the womb; You made me secure at my mother’s breast.

¹⁰ From birth I was cast upon You; from my mother’s womb You have been my God.

¹¹ Be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.

¹² Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

¹³ They open their jaws against me like lions that roar and maul.

¹⁴ I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed. My heart is like wax; it melts away within me.

¹⁵ 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.

¹⁶ For dogs surround me; a band of evil men encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet.

¹⁷ I can count all my bones; they stare and gloat over me.

¹⁸ They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.

¹⁹ But You, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.

²⁰ Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of wild dogs.

²¹ Save me from the mouth of the lion; at the horns of the wild oxen You have answered me!

²² I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; I will praise You in the assembly.

²³ You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All descendants of Jacob, honor Him! All offspring of Israel, revere Him!

²⁴ For He has not despised or detested the torment of the afflicted. He has not hidden His face from him, but has attended to his cry for help.

²⁵ My praise for You resounds in the great assembly; I will fulfill my vows before those who fear You.

²⁶ The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the LORD will praise Him. May your hearts live forever!

²⁷ All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him.

²⁸ For dominion belongs to the LORD and He rules over the nations.

²⁹ 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.

³⁰ Posterity will serve Him; they will declare the Lord to a new generation.

³¹ They will come and proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn—all that He has done.

¹ The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

² He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.

³ He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name.

⁴ 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.

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

⁶ Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

¹ The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread?

² When the wicked came upon me to devour my flesh, my enemies and foes stumbled and fell.

³ Though an army encamps around me, my heart will not fear; though a war breaks out against me, I will keep my trust.

⁴ One thing I have asked of the LORD; this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek Him in His temple.

⁵ For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will set me high upon a rock.

⁶ Then my head will be held high above my enemies around me. At His tabernacle I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.

⁷ Hear, O LORD, my voice when I call; be merciful and answer me.

⁸ My heart said, “Seek His face.” Your face, O LORD, I will seek.

⁹ 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.

¹⁰ Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.

¹¹ Teach me Your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path, because of my oppressors.

¹² Do not hand me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.

¹³ Still I am certain to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

¹⁴ Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!

¹ Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

² Blessed is the man whose iniquity the LORD does not count against him, in whose spirit there is no deceit.

³ When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long.

⁴ For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was drained as in the summer heat. Selah

⁵ Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah

⁶ Therefore let all the godly pray to You while You may be found. Surely when great waters rise, they will not come near.

⁷ You are my hiding place. You protect me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

⁸ I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will give you counsel and watch over you.

⁹ Do not be like the horse or mule, which have no understanding; they must be controlled with bit and bridle to make them come to you.

¹⁰ Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but loving devotion surrounds him who trusts in the LORD.

¹¹ Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous ones; shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

¹ As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God.

² My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When shall I come and appear in God’s presence?

³ My tears have been my food both day and night, while men ask me all day long, “Where is your God?”

⁴ These things come to mind as I pour out my soul: how I walked with the multitude, leading the festive procession to the house of God with shouts of joy and praise.

⁵ Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him for the salvation of His presence.

⁶ O my God, my soul despairs within me. Therefore I remember You from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon—even from Mount Mizar.

⁷ Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls; all Your breakers and waves have rolled over me.

⁸ The LORD decrees His loving devotion by day, and at night His song is with me as a prayer to the God of my life.

⁹ I say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why must I walk in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?”

¹⁰ Like the crushing of my bones, my enemies taunt me, while they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

¹¹ Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.

¹ God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.

² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth is transformed and the mountains are toppled into the depths of the seas,

³ though their waters roar and foam and the mountains quake in the surge. Selah

⁴ There is a river whose streams delight the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

⁵ God is within her; she will not be moved. God will help her when morning dawns.

⁶ Nations rage, kingdoms crumble; the earth melts when He lifts His voice.

⁷ The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

⁸ Come, see the works of the LORD, who brings devastation upon the earth.

⁹ He makes wars to cease throughout the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields in the fire.

¹⁰ “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted over the earth.”

¹¹ The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

¹ Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.

² Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.

⁴ Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be proved right when You speak and blameless when You judge.

⁵ Surely I was brought forth in iniquity; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.

⁶ Surely You desire truth in the inmost being; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

⁷ Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice.

⁹ Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

¹¹ Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me.

¹² Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.

¹³ Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You.

¹⁴ Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.

¹⁵ O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.

¹⁶ For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings.

¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

¹⁸ In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.

¹⁹ Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, in whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on Your altar.

¹ Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.

² But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped.

³ For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

⁴ They have no struggle in their death; their bodies are well-fed.

⁵ They are free of the burdens others carry; they are not afflicted like other men.

⁶ Therefore pride is their necklace; a garment of violence covers them.

⁷ From their prosperity proceeds iniquity; the imaginations of their hearts run wild.

⁸ They mock and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression.

⁹ They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongues strut across the earth.

¹⁰ So their people return to this place and drink up waters in abundance.

¹¹ The wicked say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?”

¹² Behold, these are the wicked—always carefree as they increase their wealth.

¹³ Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure; in innocence I have washed my hands.

¹⁴ For I am afflicted all day long and punished every morning.

¹⁵ If I had said, “I will speak this way,” then I would have betrayed Your children.

¹⁶ When I tried to understand all this, it was troublesome in my sight

¹⁷ until I entered God’s sanctuary; then I discerned their end.

¹⁸ Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin.

¹⁹ How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors!

²⁰ Like one waking from a dream, so You, O Lord, awaken and despise their form.

²¹ When my heart was grieved and I was pierced within,

²² I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You.

²³ Yet I am always with You; You hold my right hand.

²⁴ You guide me with Your counsel, and later receive me in glory.

²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but You? And on earth I desire no one besides You.

²⁶ My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

²⁷ Those far from You will surely perish; You destroy all who are unfaithful to You.

²⁸ But as for me, it is good to draw near to God. I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may proclaim all Your works.

¹ Lord, You have been our dwelling place through all generations.

² Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.

³ You return man to dust, saying, “Return, O sons of mortals.”

⁴ For in Your sight a thousand years are but a day that passes, or a watch of the night.

⁵ You sweep them away in their sleep; they are like the new grass of the morning—

⁶ in the morning it springs up new, but by evening it fades and withers.

⁷ For we are consumed by Your anger and terrified by Your wrath.

⁸ You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.

⁹ For all our days decline in Your fury; we finish our years with a sigh.

¹⁰ The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty if we are strong—yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

¹¹ Who knows the power of Your anger? Your wrath matches the fear You are due.

¹² So teach us to number our days, that we may present a heart of wisdom.

¹³ Return, O LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on Your servants.

¹⁴ Satisfy us in the morning with Your loving devotion, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

¹⁵ Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen evil.

¹⁶ May Your work be shown to Your servants, and Your splendor to their children.

¹⁷ May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish for us the work of our hands—yes, establish the work of our hands!

¹ Bless the LORD, O my soul; all that is within me, bless His holy name.

² Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all His kind deeds—

³ He who forgives all your iniquities and heals all your diseases,

⁴ who redeems your life from the Pit and crowns you with loving devotion and compassion,

⁵ who satisfies you with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶ The LORD executes righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

⁷ He made known His ways to Moses, His deeds to the people of Israel.

⁸ The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.

⁹ He will not always accuse us, nor harbor His anger forever.

¹⁰ He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities.

¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him.

¹² As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

¹³ As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.

¹⁴ For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust.

¹⁵ As for man, his days are like grass—he blooms like a flower of the field;

¹⁶ when the wind passes over, it vanishes, and its place remembers it no more.

¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting the loving devotion of the LORD extends to those who fear Him, and His righteousness to their children’s children—

¹⁸ to those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts.

¹⁹ The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.

²⁰ Bless the LORD, all His angels mighty in strength who carry out His word, who hearken to the voice of His command.

²¹ Bless the LORD, all His hosts, you servants who do His will.

²² Bless the LORD, all His works in all places of His dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!