Amplified Bible (AMP)

Prayer for Protection against the Wicked.

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 Rescue me, O Lord, from evil men;

Protect me from violent men.

2 They devise evil things in their hearts;

They continually [gather together and] stir up wars.

3 They sharpen their tongues like a serpent’s;

Poison of a viper is under their lips. Selah.

4 Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;

Protect me from violent men

Who intend to trip up my steps.

5 The proud have hidden a trap for me, and cords;

They have spread a net by the wayside;

They have set traps for me. Selah.

6 I said to the Lord, “You are my God;

Listen to the voice of my supplications, O Lord.

7 “O Godthe Lord, the strength of my salvation,

You have covered my head in the day of battle.

8 “Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;

Do not further their evil device, that they not be exalted. Selah.

9 “Those who surround me raise their heads;

May the mischief of their own lips come upon them.

10 “Let burning coals fall upon them;

Let them be thrown into the fire,

Into deep [water] pits from which they cannot rise.

11 “Do not let a slanderer be established in the earth;

Let evil quickly hunt the violent man [to overthrow him and stop his evil acts].”

12 I know [with confidence] that the Lordwill maintain the cause of the afflicted,

And [will secure] justice for the poor.

13 Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name;

The upright will dwell in Your presence.

An Evening Prayer for Sanctification and Protection.

A Psalm of David.

1 Lord, I call upon You; hurry to me.

Listen to my voice when I call to You.

2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before You;

The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.

3 Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;

Keep watch over the door of my lips [to keep me from speaking thoughtlessly].

4 Do not incline my heart to [consent to or tolerate] any evil thing,

Or to practice deeds of wickedness

With men who plananddo evil;

And let me not eat of their delicacies (be tempted by their gain).

5 Let the righteous [thoughtfully] strike (correct) me–it is a kindness [done to encourage my spiritual maturity].

It is [the choicest anointing] oil on the head;

Let my head not refuse [to accept and acknowledge and learn from] it;

For still my prayer is against their wicked deeds.

6 Their [wicked, godless] judges are thrown down the sides of the rocky cliff,

And they [who followed them] will hear my words, for they are pleasant (just).

7 As when the one plows and breaks open the ground [and the soil scatters behind him],

Our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol [by the injustices of the wicked].

8 For my eyes are toward You, O God, the Lord;

In You I take refuge; do not pour out my lifenorleave me defenseless.

9 Keep me from the jaws of the trap which they have set for me,

And from the snares of those who do evil.

10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,

While I pass byandsafely escape [from danger].

Prayer for Help in Trouble.

A skillful song,

or

a didactic

or

reflective poem, of David; when he was in the cave. A Prayer.

1 I cry aloud with my voice to the Lord;

I make supplication with my voice to the Lord.

2 I pour out my complaint before Him;

I declare my trouble before Him.

3 When my spirit was overwhelmedandweak within me [wrapped in darkness],

You knew my path.

In the way where I walk

They have hidden a trap for me.

4 Look to the right [the point of attack] and see;

For there is no one who has regard for me [to act in my favor].

Escape has failed meandI have nowhere to run;

No one cares about my life.

5 I cried out to You, O Lord;

I said, “You are my refuge,

My portion in the land of the living.

6 “Give attention to my cry,

For I am brought very low;

Rescue me from my persecutors,

For they are stronger than I.

7 “Bring my soul out of prison (adversity),

So that I may give thanksandpraise Your name;

The righteous will surround me [in triumph],

For You will look after me.”

Prayer for Help and Guidance.

A Psalm of David.

1 Hear my prayer, O Lord,

Listen to my supplications!

Answer me in Your faithfulness, and in Your righteousness.

2 And do not enter into judgment with Your servant,

For in Your sight no man living is righteousorjustified.

3 For the enemy has persecuted me,

He has crushed my life down to the ground;

He has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have been long dead.

4 Therefore my spirit is overwhelmedandweak within me [wrapped in darkness];

My heart grows numb within me.

5 I remember the days of old;

I meditate on all that You have done;

I ponder the work of Your hands.

6 I reach out my hands to You;

My throatthirstsfor You, as a parched land [thirsts for water]. Selah.

7 Answer me quickly, O Lord, my spirit fails;

Do not hide Your face from me,

Or I will become like those who go down into the pit (grave).

8 Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning,

For I trust in You.

Teach me the way in which I should walk,

For I lift up my soul to You.

9 Rescue me, O Lord, from my enemies;

I take refuge in You.

10 Teach me to do Your will [so that I may please You],

For You are my God;

Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

11 Save my life, O Lord, for Your name’s sake;

In Your righteousness bring my life out of trouble.

12 In your lovingkindness, silenceanddestroy my enemies

And destroy all those who afflict my life,

For I am Your servant.

Prayer for Rescue and Prosperity.

A Psalm

of David.

1 Blessed be the Lord, my Rockandmy great strength,

Who trains my hands for war

And my fingers for battle;

2 My [steadfast] lovingkindness and my fortress,

My high tower and my rescuer,

My shield and He in whom I take refuge,

Who subdues my people under me.

3 Lord, what is man that You take notice of him?

Or the son of man that You think of him?

4 Man is like a mere breath;

His days are like a shadow that passes away.

5 Bow Your heavens, O Lord, and come down;

Touch the mountains, and they will smoke.

6 Flash lightning and scatter my enemies;

Send out Your arrows and confuseandembarrassandfrustrate them.

7 Stretch out Your hand from above;

Set me free and rescue me from great waters,

Out of the hands of [hostile] foreigners [who surround us]

8 Whose mouths speak deceit [without restraint],

And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

9 I will sing a new song to You, O God;

Upon a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,

10 Who gives salvation to kings,

Who sets David His servant free from the evil sword.

11 Set me free and rescue me from the hand of [hostile] foreigners,

Whose mouth speaks deceit [without restraint],

And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

12 Let our sons in their youth be like plants full grown,

And our daughters like corner pillars fashioned for a palace;

13 Let our barns be full, supplying every kind of produce,

And our flocks bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields;

14 Let our cattle bear

Without mishap and without loss,

And let there be no outcry in our streets!

15 How blessedandfavored are the people in such circumstance;

How blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored] are the people whose God is the Lord!

The Lord Extolled for His Goodness.

A Psalm

of praise. Of David.

1 I will exalt You, my God, O King,

And [with gratitude and submissive wonder] I will bless Your name forever and ever.

2 Every day I will bless Youandlovingly praise You;

Yes, [with awe-inspired reverence] I will praise Your name forever and ever.

3 Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised,

And His greatness is [so vast and profound as to be] unsearchable [incomprehensible to man].

4 One generation shall praise Your works to another,

And shall declare Your mightyandremarkable acts.

5 On the glorious splendor of Your majesty

And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.

6 People will speak of the power of Your awesome acts,

And [with gratitude and submissive wonder] I will tell of Your greatness.

7 They will overflow [like a fountain] when they speak of Your greatandabundant goodness

And will sing joyfully of Your righteousness.

8 The Lordis gracious and full of compassion,

Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.

9 The Lordis good to all,

And His tender mercies are over all His works [the entirety of things created].

10 All Your works shall give thanks to Youandpraise You, O Lord,

And Your godly ones will bless You.

11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom

And talk of Your power,

12 To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts

And the glorious majesty of Your kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

And Your dominionenduresthroughout all generations.

14 The Lordupholds all those [of His own] who fall

And raises up all those who are bowed down.

15 The eyes of all look to You [in hopeful expectation],

And You give them their food in due time.

16 You open Your hand

And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17 The Lordis [unwaveringly] righteous in all His ways

And graciousandkind in all His works.

18 The Lordis near to all who call on Him,

To all who call on Him in truth (without guile).

19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fearandworship Him [with awe-inspired reverence and obedience];

He also will hear their cry and will save them.

20 The Lordkeeps all who love Him,

But all the wicked He will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,

And all flesh will blessandgratefully praise His holy name forever and ever.

The Lord an Abundant Helper.

1 Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

2 While I live I will praise the Lord;

I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.

3 Do not trust in princes,

In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation (help).

4 When his spirit leaves him, he returns to the earth;

In that very day his thoughtsandplans perish.

5 How blessedandgraciously favored is he whose help is the God of Jacob (Israel),

Whose hope is in the Lordhis God,

6 Who made heaven and earth,

The sea, and all that is in them,

Who keeps truthandis faithful forever,

7 Who executes justice for the oppressed,

Who gives food to the hungry.

The Lordsets free the prisoners.

8 The Lordopensthe eyes ofthe blind;

The Lordlifts up those who are bowed down;

The Lordloves therighteous [the upright in heart].

9 The Lordprotects the strangers;

He supports the fatherless and the widow;

But He makes crooked the way of the wicked.

10 The Lordshall reign forever,

Your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

Praise for Jerusalem’s Restoration and Prosperity.

1 Praise the Lord!

For it is good to sing praises to our [gracious and majestic] God;

Praise is becomingandappropriate.

2 The Lordis building up Jerusalem;

He is gathering [together] the exiles of Israel.

3 He heals the brokenhearted

And binds up their wounds [healing their pain and comforting their sorrow].

4 He counts the number of the stars;

He calls them all by their names.

5 Great is our [majestic and mighty] Lord and abundant in strength;

His understanding is inexhaustible [infinite, boundless].

6 The Lordlifts up the humble;

He casts the wicked down to the ground.

7 Sing to the Lordwith thanksgiving;

Sing praises to our God with the lyre,

8 Who covers the heavens with clouds,

Who provides rain for the earth,

Who makes grass grow on the mountains.

9 He gives to the beast its food,

And to the young ravens that for which they cry.

10 He does not delight in the strength (military power) of the horse,

Nor does He take pleasure in the legs (strength) of a man.

11 The Lordfavors those who fearandworship Him [with awe-inspired reverence and obedience],

Those who wait for His mercyandlovingkindness.

12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!

Praise your God, O Zion!

13 For He has strengthened the bars of your gates,

He has blessed your children within you.

14 He makes peace in your borders;

He satisfies you with the finest of the wheat.

15 He sends His command to the earth;

His word runs very swiftly.

16 He gives [to the earth] snow like [a blanket of] wool;

He scatters the frost like ashes.

17 He casts out His ice like fragments;

Who can stand before His cold?

18 He sends out His word and melts the ice;

He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow.

19 He declares His word to Jacob,

His statutes and His ordinances to Israel.

20 He has not dealt this way with any [other] nation;

They have not known [understood, appreciated, heeded, or cherished] His ordinances.

Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

The Whole Creation Invoked to Praise the Lord.

1 Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lordfrom the heavens;

Praise Him in the heights!

2 Praise Him, all His angels;

Praise Him, all His hosts (armies)!

3 Praise Him, sun and moon:

Praise Him, all stars of light!

4 Praise Him, highest heavens,

And the waters above the heavens!

5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,

For He commanded and they were created.

6 He has also established them forever and ever;

He has made a decree which shall not pass away.

7 Praise the Lordfrom the earth,

Sea monsters and all deeps;

8 Lightning and hail, snow and fog;

Stormy wind, fulfilling His orders;

9 Mountains and all hills;

Fruitful trees and all cedars;

10 Beasts and all cattle;

Creeping things and winged birds;

11 Kings of the earth and all people;

Princes and all judges of the earth;

12 Both young men and virgins;

Old men and children.

13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,

For His name alone is exaltedandsupreme;

His gloryandmajesty are above earth and heaven.

14 He has lifted up a horn for His people [giving them strength, prosperity, dignity, and preeminence],

Praise for all His godly ones;

For the people of Israel, a people near to Him.

Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

Israel Invoked to Praise the Lord.

1 Praise the Lord!

Sing to the Lorda new song,

And praise Him in the congregation of His godly ones (believers).

2 Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;

Let Zion’s children rejoice in their King.

3 Let them praise His name with dancing;

Let them sing praises to Him with the tambourine and lyre.

4 For the Lordtakes pleasure in His people;

He will beautify the humble with salvation.

5 Let the godly ones exult in glory;

Let them sing for joy on their beds.

6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats,

And a two-edged sword in their hands,

7 To execute vengeance on the nations

And punishment on the peoples,

8 To bind their kings with chains

And their nobles with fetters of iron,

9 To execute on them the judgment written.

This is the honor for all His godly ones.

Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)