Psalms 21-23

Psalm 21

¹For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!

²Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah

³For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of fine gold on his head.

⁴He asked life of thee, thou gavest it him; even length of days for ever and ever.

⁵His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty dost thou lay upon him.

⁶For thou makest him most blessed for ever: thou makest him glad with joy in thy presence.

⁷For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the lovingkindness of the Most High he shall not be moved.

⁸Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.

⁹Thou shalt make them as a fiery furnace in the time of thine anger. The LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.

¹⁰Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men.

¹¹For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a device, which they are not able to perform.

¹²For thou shalt make them turn their back, thou shalt make ready with thy bowstrings against the face of them.

¹³Be thou exalted, O LORD, in thy strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.

Psalm 22

¹For the Chief Musician; set to Aijeleth hash-Shahar. A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

²O my God, I cry in the day-time, but thou answerest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.

³But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

⁴Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

⁵They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not ashamed.

⁶But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

⁷All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

⁸Commit thyself unto the LORD; let him deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighteth in him.

⁹But thou art he that took me out the womb: thou didst make me trust when I was upon my mother’s breasts.

¹⁰I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.

¹¹Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

¹²Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

¹³They gape upon me with their mouth, as a ravening and a roaring lion.

¹⁴I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

¹⁵My Strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

¹⁶For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of evil-doers have enclosed me; they pierced my hands and my feet.

¹⁷I may tell all my bones; they look and stare upon me:

¹⁸They part my garments among them, and upon my vesture do they cast lots.

¹⁹But be not thou far off, O LORD: O thou my succour, haste thee to help me.

²⁰Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog;

²¹Save me from the lion’s mouth; yea, from the horns of the wild-oxen thou hast answered me.

²²I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

²³Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and stand in awe of him, all ye the seed of Israel.

²⁴For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

²⁵Of thee cometh my praise in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

²⁶The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek after him: let your heart live for ever.

²⁷All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

²⁸For the kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the ruler over the nations.

²⁹All the fat ones of the earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him, even he that cannot keep his soul alive.

³⁰A seed shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord unto the next generation.

³¹They shall come and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done it.

Psalm 23

¹A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

²He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

³He restoreth my soul: he guideth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me: thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.

⁵Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou hast anointed my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.