Amplified Bible (AMP)

Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death.

A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House (Temple).

A Psalm

of David.

1 I will extolandpraise You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up,

And have not let my enemies rejoice over me.

2 O Lordmy God,

I cried to You for help, and You have healed me.

3 O Lord, You have brought my life up from Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead);

You have kept me alive, so that I would not go down to the pit (grave).

4 Sing to the Lord, O you His godly ones,

And give thanks at the mention of His holyname.

5 For His anger is but for a moment,

His favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping may endure for a night,

But a shout of joy comes in the morning.

6 As for me, in my prosperity I said,

“I shall never be moved.”

7 By Your favorandgrace, O Lord, you have made my mountain stand strong;

You hid Your face, and I was horrified.

8 I called to You, O Lord,

And to the Lord I made supplication (specific request).

9 “What profit is there in my blood (death), if I go down to the pit (grave)?

Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness [to man]?

10 “Hear, O Lord, be graciousandshow favor to me;

O Lord, be my helper.”

11 You have turned my mourning into dancing for me;

You have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

12 That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent.

O Lordmy God, I will give thanks to You forever.

A Psalm of Complaint and of Praise.

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 In You, O Lord, I have placed my trustandtaken refuge;

Let me never beashamed;

In Your righteousness rescue me.

2 Incline Your ear to me, deliver me quickly;

Be my rock of refuge,

And a strong fortress to save me.

3 Yes, You are my rock and my fortress;

For Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.

4 You will draw me out of the net that they have secretly laid for me,

For You are my strengthandmy stronghold.

5 Into Your hand I commit my spirit;

You have redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truthandfaithfulness.

6 I hate those who pay regard to vain (empty, worthless) idols;

But I trust in the Lord[and rely on Him with unwavering confidence].

7 I will rejoice and be glad in Your steadfast love,

Because You have seen my affliction;

You have taken note of my life’s distresses,

8 And You have not given me into the hand of the enemy;

You have set my feet in a broad place.

9 Be graciousandcompassionate to me, O Lord, for I am in trouble;

My eye is cloudedandweakened by grief, my soul and my body also.

10 For my life is spent with sorrow

And my years with sighing;

My strength has failed because of my iniquity,

And even my body has wasted away.

11 Because of all my enemies I have become a reproachanddisgrace,

Especially to my neighbors,

And an object of dread to my acquaintances;

Those who see me on the street run from me.

12 I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind;

I am like a broken vessel.

13 For I have heard the slanderandwhispering of many,

Terror is on every side;

While they schemed together against me,

They plotted to take away my life.

14 But as for me, I trust [confidently] in YouandYour greatness, O Lord;

I said, “You are my God.”

15 My times are in Your hands;

Rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from those who pursueandpersecute me.

16 Make Your face shine upon Your servant;

Save me in Your lovingkindness.

17 Let me not be put to shame, O Lord, for I call on You;

Let the wicked (godless) be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead).

18 Let the lying lips be mute,

Which speak insolentlyandarrogantly against the [consistently] righteous

With pride and contempt.

19 How great is Your goodness,

Which You have stored up for those who [reverently] fear You,

Which You have prepared for those who take refuge in You,

Before the sons of man!

20 In the secret place of Your presence You hide them from the plotsandconspiracies of man;

You keep them secretly in a shelter (pavilion) from the strife of tongues.

21 Blessed be the Lord,

For He has shown His marvelous favorandlovingkindness to me [when I was assailed] in a besieged city.

22 As for me, I said in my alarm,

“I am cut off from Your eyes.”

Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications (specific requests)

When I cried to You [for help].

23 O love the Lord, all you His godly ones!

The Lordpreserves the faithful [those with moral and spiritual integrity]

And fully repays the [self-righteousness of the] arrogant.

24 Be strong and let your hearts take courage,

All you who wait forandconfidently expect the Lord.

Blessedness of Forgiveness and of Trust in God.

A Psalm

of David. A skillful

song,

or

a didactic

or

reflective poem.

1 Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, favored by God] is he whose transgression is forgiven,

And whose sin is covered.

2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lorddoes not impute wickedness,

And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3 When I kept silentabout my sin, my body wasted away

Through my groaning all the day long.

4 For day and night Your hand [of displeasure] was heavy upon me;

Myenergy (vitality, strength) was drained away as with the burning heat of summer. Selah.

5 I acknowledged my sin to You,

And I did not hide my wickedness;

I said, “I will confess [all] my transgressions to the Lord”;

And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.

6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [for forgiveness] in a time when You [are near and] may be found;

Surely when the great waters [of trial and distressing times] overflow they will not reach [the spirit in] him.

7 You are my hiding place; You, Lord, protect me from trouble;

You surround me with songsandshouts of deliverance. Selah.

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you [who are willing to learn] with My eye upon you.

9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule which have no understanding,

Whose trappings include bridle and rein to hold them in check,

Otherwisethey will not come near to you.

10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,

But he who trusts inandrelies on the Lordshall be surrounded with compassionandlovingkindness.

11 Be glad in the Lordand rejoice, you righteous [who actively seek right standing with Him];

Shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

Praise to the Creator and Preserver.

1 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones;

Praise is becomingandappropriate for those who are upright [in heart–those with moral integrity and godly character].

2 Give thanks to the Lordwith the lyre;

Sing praises to Him with the harp of ten strings.

3 Sing to Him a new song;

Play skillfully [on the strings] with a loudandjoyful sound.

4 For the word of the Lordis right;

And all His work is done in faithfulness.

5 He loves righteousness and justice;

The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.

6 By the word of the Lordwere the heavens made,

And all their host by the breath of His mouth.

7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as in a wineskin;

He puts the deeps in storehouses.

8 Let all the earth fearandworship the Lord;

Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

9 For He spoke, and it was done;

He commanded, and it stood fast.

10 The Lordnullifies the counsel of the nations;

He makes the thoughtsandplans of the people ineffective.

11 The counsel of the Lordstands forever,

The thoughtsandplans of His heart through all generations.

12 Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the nation whose God is the Lord,

The people whom He has chosen as His own inheritance.

13 The Lordlooks [down] from heaven;

He sees all the sons of man;

14 From His dwelling place He looks closely

Upon all the inhabitants of the earth–

15 He who fashions the hearts of them all,

Who considersandunderstands all that they do.

16 The king is not saved by the great size of his army;

A warrior is not rescued by his great strength.

17 A horse is a false hope for victory;

Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.

18 Behold, the eye of the Lordis upon those who fear Him [and worship Him with awe-inspired reverence and obedience],

On those who hope [confidently] in His compassionandlovingkindness,

19 To rescue their lives from death

And keep them alive in famine.

20 We wait [expectantly] for the Lord;

He is our help and our shield.

21 For in Him our heart rejoices,

Because we trust [lean on, rely on, and are confident] in His holy name.

22 Let Your [steadfast] lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us,

In proportion as we havehoped in You.

The Lord, a Provider and the One Who Rescues Me.

A Psalm

of David; when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him out, and he went away.

1 I will bless the Lordat all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;

The humbleanddowntrodden will hear it and rejoice.

3 Omagnify the Lordwith me,

And let us lift up His name together.

4 I sought the Lord[on the authority of His word], and He answered me,

And delivered me from all my fears.

5 They looked to Him and were radiant;

Their faces will never blush in shameorconfusion.

6 This poor man cried, and the Lordheard him

And saved him from all his troubles.

7 Theangel of the Lordencamps around those who fear Him [with awe-inspired reverence and worship Him with obedience],

And He rescues [each of] them.

8 O taste and see that the Lord[our God] is good;

How blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who takes refuge in Him.

9 O [reverently] fear the Lord, you His saints (believers, holy ones);

For to those who fear Him there is no want.

10 The young lions lack [food] and grow hungry,

But they who seek the Lordwill not lack any good thing.

11 Come, you children, listen to me;

I will teach you to fear the Lord[with awe-inspired reverence and worship Him with obedience].

12 Who is the man who desires life

And loves many days, that he may see good?

13 Keep your tongue from evil

And your lips from speaking deceit.

14 Turn away from evil and do good;

Seek peace and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the Lordare toward the righteous [those with moral courage and spiritual integrity]

And His ears are open to their cry.

16 The face of the Lordis against those who do evil,

To cut off the memory of them from the earth.

17 Whenthe righteouscry [for help], the Lordhears

And rescues them from all their distressandtroubles.

18 The Lordis near to the heartbroken

And He saves those who are crushed in spirit (contrite in heart, truly sorry for their sin).

19 Many hardshipsandperplexing circumstances confront the righteous,

But the Lordrescues him from them all.

20 He keeps all his bones;

Not one of them is broken.

21 Evil will cause the death of the wicked,

And those who hate the righteous will be held guiltyandwill be condemned.

22 The Lordredeems the soul of His servants,

And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.

Prayer for Rescue from Enemies.

A Psalm

of David.

1 Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me;

Fight against those who fight against me.

2 Take hold of shield and buckler (small shield),

And stand up for my help.

3 Draw also the spear and javelin to meet those who pursue me.

Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”

4 Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life;

Let those be turned back [in defeat] and humiliated who plot evil against me.

5 Let them be [blown away] like chaff before the wind [worthless, without substance],

With the angel of the Lorddriving them on.

6 Let their way be dark and slippery,

With the angel of the Lordpursuingandharassing them.

7 For without cause they hid their net for me;

Without cause they dug a pit [of destruction] for my life.

8 Let destruction come upon my enemy by surprise;

Let the net he hid for me catch him;

Into that very destruction let him fall.

9 Then my soul shall rejoice in the Lord;

It shall rejoice in His salvation.

10 All my bones will say, “Lord, who is like You,

Who rescues the afflicted from him who is too strong for him [to resist alone],

And the afflicted and the needy from him who robs him?”

11 Malicious witnesses rise up;

They ask me of things that I do not know.

12 They repay me evil for good,

To the sorrow of my soul.

13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth (mourning garment);

I humbled my soul with fasting,

And I prayed with my head bowed on my chest.

14 I behaved as if grieving for my friend or my brother;

I bowed down in mourning, as one who sorrows for his mother.

15 But in my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered together [against me];

The slanderers whom I did not know gathered against me;

They slanderedandreviled me without ceasing.

16 Like godless jesters at a feast,

They gnashed at me with their teeth [in malice].

17 Lord, how long will You look on [without action]?

Rescue my life from their destructions,

My onlylifefrom the young lions.

18 I will give You thanks in the great congregation;

I will praise You among a mighty people.

19 Do not let those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me;

Nor let those who hate me without cause wink their eye [maliciously].

20 For they do not speak peace,

But they devise deceitful words [half-truths and lies] against those who are quiet in the land.

21 They open their mouths wide against me;

They say, “Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it!”

22 You have seen this, O Lord; do not keep silent.

O Lord, do not be far from me.

23 Wake Yourself up, and arise to my right

And to my cause, my God and my Lord.

24 Judge me, O Lordmy God, according to Your righteousnessandjustice;

And do not let them rejoice over me.

25 Do not let them say in their heart, “Aha, that is what we wanted!”

Do not let them say, “We have swallowed him upanddestroyed him.”

26 Let those be ashamed and humiliated together who rejoice at my distress;

Let those be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves over me.

27 Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindicationandwant what is right for me;

Let them say continually, “Let the Lordbe magnified, who delightsandtakes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”

28 And my tongue shall declare Your righteousness (justice),

And Your praise all the day long.

Wickedness of Men and Lovingkindness of God.

To the Chief Musician.

A Psalm

of David the servant of the L

ord

.

1 Transgression speaks [like an oracle] to the wicked (godless) [deep] within his heart;

There is no fear (dread) of God before his eyes.

2 For he flattersanddeceives himself in his own eyes

Thinkingthat his sinfulness will not be discovered and hated [by God].

3 The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful;

He has ceased to be wiseandto do good.

4 He plans wrongdoing on his bed;

He sets himself on a path that is not good;

He does not rejectordespise evil.

5 Your lovingkindnessandgraciousness, O Lord, extend to the skies,

Your faithfulness [reaches] to the clouds.

6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God,

Your judgments are like the great deep.

O Lord, You preserve man and beast.

7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!

The children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.

8 They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house;

And You allow them to drink from the river of Your delights.

9 For with You is the fountain of life [the fountain of life-giving water];

In Your light we see light.

10 O continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,

And Your righteousness (salvation) to the upright in heart.

11 Do not let the foot of the proud [person] overtake me,

And do not let the hand of the wicked drive me away.

12 There those who [are perverse and] do evil have fallen;

They have been thrust down and cannot rise.

Security of Those Who Trust in the Lord, and Insecurity of the Wicked.

A Psalm

of David.

1 Do not worry because of evildoers,

Nor be envious toward wrongdoers;

2 For they will wither quickly like the grass,

And fade like the green herb.

3 Trust [rely on and have confidence] in the Lordand do good;

Dwell in the land and feed [securely] on His faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself in the Lord,

And He will give you the desiresandpetitions of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;

Trust in Him also and He will do it.

6 He will make your righteousness [your pursuit of right standing with God] like the light,

And your judgment like [the shining of] the noonday [sun].

7 Be still before the Lord; wait patiently for Himandentrust yourself to Him;

Do not fret (whine, agonize) because of him who prospers in his way,

Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.

8 Cease from anger and abandon wrath;

Do not fret;it leadsonly to evil.

9 For those who do evil will be cut off,

But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.

10 For yet a little while and the wicked one will be gone [forever];

Though you look carefully where he used to be, he will not be [found].

11 But the humble will [at last] inherit the land

And will delight themselves in abundant prosperityandpeace.

12 The wicked plots against the righteous

And gnashes at him with his teeth.

13 The Lord laughs at him [the wicked one–the one who oppresses the righteous],

For He sees that his day [of defeat] is coming.

14 The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow

To cast down the afflicted and the needy,

To slaughter those who are upright in conduct [those with personal integrity and godly character].

15 The sword [of the ungodly] will enter their own heart,

And their bow will be broken.

16 Better is the little of the righteous [who seek the will of God]

Than the abundance (riches) of many wicked (godless).

17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken,

But the Lordupholdsandsustains the righteous [who seek Him].

18 The Lordknows the days of the blameless,

And their inheritance will continue forever.

19 They will not beashamed in the time of evil,

And in the days of famine they will have plentyandbe satisfied.

20 But the wicked (ungodly) will perish,

And the enemies of the Lordwill be like theglory of the pasturesandlike the fat of lambs [that is consumed in smoke],

They vanish–like smoke they vanish away.

21 The wicked borrows and does not pay back,

But the righteous is graciousandkind and gives.

22 For those blessed by God will [at last] inherit the land,

But those cursed by Him will be cut off.

23 The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directedandestablished by the Lord,

And He delights in his way [and blesses his path].

24 When he falls, he will not be hurled down,

Because the Lordis the One who holds his handandsustains him.

25 I have been young and now I am old,

Yet I have not seen the righteous (those in right standing with God) abandoned

Or his descendants pleading for bread.

26 All day long he is gracious and lends,

And his descendants are a blessing.

27 Depart from evil and do good;

And you will dwell [securely in the land] forever.

28 For the Lorddelights in justice

And does not abandon His saints (faithful ones);

They are preserved forever,

But the descendants of the wicked will [in time] be cut off.

29 The righteous will inherit the land

And live in it forever.

30 The mouth of the righteous proclaims wisdom,

And his tongue speaks justiceandtruth.

31 The law of his God is in his heart;

Not one of his steps will slip.

32 The wicked lies in wait for the righteous

And seeks to kill him.

33 The Lordwill not leave him in his hand

Or let him be condemned when he is judged.

34 Wait forandexpect the Lordand keep His way,

And He will exalt you to inherit the land;

[In the end] when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

35 I have seen a wicked, violent man [with great power]

Spreadingandflaunting himself like a cedar in its native soil,

36 Yet he passed away, and lo, he was no more;

I sought him, but he could not be found.

37 Mark the blameless man [who is spiritually complete], and behold the upright [who walks in moral integrity];

There is a [good] future for the man of peace [because a life of honor blesses one’s descendants].

38 As for transgressors, they will be completely destroyed;

The future of the wicked will be cut off.

39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;

He is their refugeandstronghold in the time of trouble.

40 The Lordhelps them and rescues them;

He rescues them from the wicked and saves them,

Because they take refuge in Him.

Prayer in Time of Discipline.

A Psalm of David; to bring to remembrance.

1 O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath,

Nor discipline me in Your burning anger.

2 For Your arrows have sunk into meandpenetrate deeply,

And Your hand has pressed down on meandgreatly disciplined me.

3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation;

There is no health in my bones because of my sin.

4 For my iniquities have gone over my head [like the waves of a flood];

As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.

5 My wounds are loathsome and foul

Because of my foolishness.

6 I am bent over and greatly bowed down;

I go about mourning all day long.

7 For my sides are filled with burning,

And there is no health in my flesh.

8 I am numb and greatly bruised [deadly cold and completely worn out];

I groan because of the disquietandmoaning of my heart.

9 Lord, all my desire is before You;

And my sighing is not hidden from You.

10 My heart throbs violently, my strength fails me;

And as for the light of my eyes, even that has also gone from me.

11 My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;

And my neighbors stand far away.

12 Those who seek my life lay snaresfor me,

And those who seek to injure me threaten mischievous thingsanddestruction;

They devise treachery all the day long.

13 But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;

I am like a mute man who does not open his mouth.

14 Yes, I am like a man who does not hear,

In whose mouth are no arguments.

15 For in You, O Lord, I hope;

You will answer, O Lord my God.

16 For I pray, “May they not rejoice over me,

Who, when my foot slips, would boast against me.”

17 For I am ready to fall;

My sorrow is continually before me.

18 For I do confess my guiltandiniquity;

I am filled with anxiety because of my sin.

19 But my [numerous] enemies are vigorous and strong,

And those who hate me without cause are many.

20 They repay evil for good, they attackandtry to kill me,

Because I follow what is good.

21 Do not abandon me, O Lord;

O my God, do not be far from me.

22 Make haste to help me,

O Lord, my Salvation.

The Vanity of Life.

To the Chief Musician; for Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

1 I said, “I will guard my ways

That I may not sin with my tongue;

I will muzzle my mouth

While the wicked are in my presence.”

2 I was mute and silent [before my enemies],

I refrainedevenfrom good,

And mydistress grew worse.

3 My heart was hot within me.

While I was musing the fire burned;

Then I spoke with my tongue:

4 “Lord, let me know my [life’s] end

And [to appreciate] the extent of my days;

Let me know how frail I am [how transient is my stay here].

5 “Behold, You have made my days as [short as] hand widths,

And my lifetime is as nothing in Your sight.

Surely every man at his best is a mere breath [a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes]! Selah.

6 “Surely every man walks around like a shadow [in a charade];

Surely they make an uproar for nothing;

Each one builds upriches,not knowing who will receive them.

7 “And now, Lord, for what do I expectantly wait?

My hope [my confident expectation] is in You.

8 “Save me from all my transgressions;

Do not make me the scornandreproach of the [self-righteous, arrogant] fool.

9 “I am mute, I do not open my mouth,

Because it is You who has done it.

10 “Remove Your plague from me;

I am wasting away because of the conflictandopposition of Your hand.

11 “With rebukes You discipline man for sin;

You consume like a moth what is precious to him;

Surely every man is a mere breath [a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes]. Selah.

12 “Hear my prayer, O Lord, and listen to my cry;

Do not be silent at my tears;

For I am Your temporary guest,

A sojourner like all my fathers.

13 “O look away from me, that I may smileandagain know joy

Before I depart and am no more.”