Amplified Bible (AMP)

Prayer for Breaking Away from the Treacherous.

A Song of

Ascents.

1 In my trouble I cried to the Lord,

And He answered me.

2 Rescue my soul, O Lord, from lying lips,

And from a deceitful tongue.

3 What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you,

You deceitful tongue?–

4 Sharp arrows of the warrior,

With theburning coals of the broom tree.

5 Woe to me, for I sojourn in Meshech,

and I live among the tents of Kedar [among hostile people]!

6 Too long my soul has had its dwelling

With those who hate peace.

7 I am for peace, but when I speak,

They are for war.

The Lord the Keeper of Israel.

A Song of

Ascents.

1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills [of Jerusalem]–

From where shall my help come?

2 My help comes from the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to slip;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

4 Behold, He who keeps Israel

Will neither slumber [briefly] nor sleep [soundly].

5 The Lordis your keeper;

The Lordis your shade on your right hand.

6 The sun will not strike you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

7 The Lordwill protect you from all evil;

He will keep your life.

8 The Lordwill guard your going out and your coming in [everything that you do]

From this time forth and forever.

Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem.

A Song of

Ascents. Of David.

1 I was glad when they said to me,

“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

2 Our feet are standing

Within your gates, O Jerusalem,

3 Jerusalem, that is built

As a city that is firmly joined together;

4 To which the [twelve] tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord,

[As was decreed as] an ordinance for Israel,

To give thanks to the name of the Lord.

5 For there the thrones of judgment were set,

The thrones of the house of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

“May they prosper who love you [holy city].

7 “May peace be within your walls

And prosperity within your palaces.”

8 For the sake of my brothers and my friends,

I will now say, “May peace be within you.”

9 For the sake of the house of the Lordour God [which is Jerusalem],

I will seek your (the city’s) good.

Prayer for the Lord’s Help.

A Song of

Ascents.

1 Unto you I lift up my eyes,

O You who are enthroned in the heavens!

2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,

And as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,

So our eyes look to the Lordour God,

Until He is graciousandfavorable toward us.

3 Be gracious to us, O Lord, be graciousandfavorable toward us,

For we are greatly filled with contempt.

4 Our soul is greatly filled

With the scoffing of those who are at ease,

And with the contempt of the proud [who disregard God’s law].

Praise for Rescue from Enemies.

A Song of

Ascents. Of David.

1 “If it had not been the Lordwho was on our side,”

Let Israel now say,

2 “If it had not been the Lordwho was on our side

When men rose up against us,

3 Then they would have [quickly] swallowed us alive,

When their wrath was kindled against us;

4 Then the waters would have engulfed us,

The torrent would have swept over our soul;

5 Then theraging waters would have swept over our soul.”

6 Blessed be the Lord,

Who has not given us as prey to be torn by their teeth.

7 We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers;

The trap is broken and we have escaped.

8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.

The Lord Surrounds His People.

A Song of

Ascents.

1 Those who trust inandrely on the Lord[with confident expectation]

Are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but remains forever.

2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

So the Lordsurrounds His people

From this time forth and forever.

3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land of the righteous,

So that the righteous will not reach out their hands to do wrong.

4 Do good, O Lord, to those who are good

And to those who are upright in their hearts.

5 But as for those who turn aside to their crooked ways [in unresponsiveness to God],

The Lordwill lead them away with those who do evil.

Peace be upon Israel.

Thanksgiving for Return from Captivity.

A Song of

Ascents.

1 When the Lordbrought back the captives to Zion (Jerusalem),

We were like those who dream [it seemed so unreal].

2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter

And our tongue with joyful shouting;

Then they said among the nations,

“The Lordhas done great things for them.”

3 The Lordhas done great things for us;

We are glad!

4 Restore ourcaptivity, O Lord,

As the stream-beds in the South (the Negev) [are restored by torrents of rain].

5 They who sow in tears shall reap with joyful singing.

6 He who goes back and forth weeping, carrying his bag of seed [for planting],

Will indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

Prosperity Comes from the Lord.

A Song of

Ascents. Of Solomon.

1 Unless the Lordbuilds the house,

They labor in vain who build it;

Unless the Lordguards the city,

The watchman keeps awake in vain.

2 It is vain for you to rise early,

To retire late,

To eat the bread of anxious labors–

For He gives [blessings] to His belovedeven in hissleep.

3 Behold, children are a heritageandgift from the Lord,

The fruit of the womb a reward.

4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

So are the children of one’s youth.

5 How blessed [happy and fortunate] is the man whose quiver is filled with them;

They will not be ashamed

When they speak with their enemies [in gatherings] at the [city] gate.

Blessedness of the Fear of the Lord.

A Song of

Ascents.

1 Blessed [happy and sheltered by God’s favor] is everyone who fears the Lord[and worships Him with obedience],

Who walks in His waysandlives according to His commandments.

2 For you shall eat the fruit of [the labor of] your hands,

You will be happyandblessed and it will be well with you.

3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine

Within the innermost part of your house;

Your children will be like olive plants

Around your table.

4 Behold, for so shall the man be blessedanddivinely favored

Who fears the Lord[and worships Him with obedience].

5 May the Lordbless you from Zion [His holy mountain],

And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life;

6 Indeed, may you see your [family perpetuated in your] children’s children.

Peace be upon Israel!

Prayer for the Overthrow of Zion’s Enemies.

A Song of

Ascents.

1 “Many times they have persecuted me (Israel) from my youth,”

Let Israel now say,

2 “Many times they have persecuted me from my youth,

Yet they have not prevailed against me.

3 “The [enemies, like] plowers plowed on my back;

They made their furrows [of suffering] long [in Israel].”

4 The Lordis righteous;

He has cut in two the [thick] cords of the wicked [which enslaved the people of Israel].

5 May all who hate Zion

Be put to shame and turned backward [in defeat].

6 Let them be like the grass on the housetops,

Which withers before it grows up,

7 With which the reaper does not fill his hand,

Nor the binder of sheaves his arms,

8 Nor do those who pass by say,

“The blessing of the Lordbe upon you;

We bless you in the name of the Lord.”