He has recompensed me.
21For I have kept the ways of the LORD,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.
22For all His judgments were before me,
And I did not put away His statutes from me.
23I was also blameless 6before Him,
And I kept myself from my iniquity.
24rTherefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
25sWith the merciful You will show Yourself merciful;
With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;
26With the pure You will show Yourself pure;
And twith the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.
27For You will save the humble people,
But will bring down uhaughty looks.
28vFor You will light my lamp;
The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
29For by You I can 7run against a troop,
By my God I can leap over a wall.
30As for God, wHis way is perfect;
xThe word of the LORD is 8proven;
He is a shield yto all who trust in Him.
31zFor who is God, except the LORD?
And who is a rock, except our God?
32It is God who aarms me with strength,
And makes my way perfect.
33bHe makes my feet like the feet of deer,
And csets me on my high places.
34dHe teaches my hands to make war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;
Your right hand has held me up,
Your gentleness has made me great.
36You enlarged my path under me,
eSo my feet did not slip.
37I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them;
Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.
38I have wounded them,
So that they could not rise;
They have fallen under my feet.
39For You have armed me with strength for the battle;
You have 9subdued under me those who rose up against me.
40You have also given me the necks of my enemies,
So that I destroyed those who hated me.
41They cried out, but there was none to save;
fEven to the LORD, but He did not answer them.
42Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind;
I gcast them out like dirt in the streets.
43You have delivered me from the strivings of the people;
hYou have made me the head of the 10nations;
iA people I have not known shall serve me.
44As soon as they hear of me they obey me;
The foreigners 11submit to me.
45jThe foreigners fade away,
And come frightened from their hideouts.
46The LORD lives!
Blessed be my Rock!
Let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47It is God who avenges me,
kAnd subdues the peoples under me;
48He delivers me from my enemies.
lYou also lift me up above those who rise against me;
You have delivered me from the violent man.
49mTherefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the 12Gentiles,
And sing praises to Your name.
50nGreat deliverance He gives to His king,
And shows mercy to His anointed,
To David and his 13descendants forevermore.
Psalm 19
The Perfect Revelation of the LORD
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
1The aheavens declare the glory of God;
And the bfirmament1 shows 2His handiwork.
2Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
3There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
4cTheir 3line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
In them He has set a 4tabernacle for the sun,
5Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
dAnd rejoices like a strong man to run its race.
6Its rising is from one end of heaven,
And its circuit to the other end;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7eThe law of the LORD is perfect, 5converting the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making fwise the simple;
8The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
10More to be desired are they than ggold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the 6honeycomb.
11Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is great reward.
12Who can understand his errors?
hCleanse me from secret faults.
13Keep back Your servant also from ipresumptuous sins;
Let them not have jdominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
And I shall be innocent of 7great transgression.
14kLet the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my 8strength and my lRedeemer. Images of God in the Psalms
Psalm 20
The Assurance of God’s Saving Work
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
1May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble;
May the name of the God of Jacob 1defend you;
2May He send you help from the sanctuary,
And strengthen you out of Zion;
3May He remember all your offerings,
And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah
4May He grant you according to your heart’s desire,
And afulfill all your 2purpose.
5We will rejoice in your salvation,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!
May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.
6Now I know that the LORD saves His 3anointed;
He will answer him from His holy heaven
With the saving strength of His right hand.
7Some trust in chariots, and some in bhorses;
But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
8They have bowed down and fallen;
But we have risen and stand upright.
9Save, LORD!
May the King answer us when we call.
Psalm 21
Joy in the Salvation of the LORD
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
1The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD;
And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
2You have given him his heart’s desire,
And have not withheld the arequest of his lips. Selah
3For You meet him with the blessings of goodness;
You set a crown of pure gold upon his head.
4bHe asked life from You, and You gave it to him—
Length of days forever and ever.
5His glory is great in Your salvation;
Honor and majesty You have placed upon him.
6For You have made him most blessed forever;
cYou have made him 1exceedingly glad with Your presence.
7For the king trusts in the LORD,
And through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be 2moved.
8Your hand will find all Your enemies;
Your right hand will find those who hate You.
9You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger;
The LORD shall swallo
w them up in His wrath,
And the fire shall devour them.
10Their offspring You shall destroy from the earth,
And their 3descendants from among the sons of men.
11For they intended evil against You;
They devised a plot which they are not able to dperform.
12Therefore You will make them turn their back;
You will make ready Your arrows on Your string toward their faces.
13Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength!
We will sing and praise Your power.
Psalm 22
The Suffering, Praise, and Posterity of the Messiah
To the Chief Musician. Set to 1“The Deer of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David.
1My aGod, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Why are You so far from helping Me,
And from the words of My groaning?
2O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear;
And in the night season, and am not silent.
3But You are holy,
Enthroned in the bpraises of Israel.
4Our fathers trusted in You;
They trusted, and You delivered them.
5They cried to You, and were delivered;
cThey trusted in You, and were not ashamed.
6But I am da worm, and no man;
eA reproach of men, and despised by the people.
7fAll those who see Me ridicule Me;
They 2shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8“Heg 3trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him;
hLet Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”
9iBut You are He who took Me out of the womb;
You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts.
10I was cast upon You from birth.
From My mother’s womb
jYou have been My God.
11Be not far from Me,
For trouble is near;
For there is none to help.
12kMany bulls have surrounded Me;
Strong bulls of lBashan have encircled Me.
13mThey 4gape at Me with their mouths,
Like a raging and roaring lion.
14I am poured out like water,
nAnd all My bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It has melted 5within Me.
15oMy strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And pMy tongue clings to My jaws;
You have brought Me to the dust of death.
16For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
qThey6 pierced My hands and My feet;
17I can count all My bones.
rThey look and stare at Me.
18sThey divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.
19But You, O LORD, do not be far from Me;
O My Strength, hasten to help Me!
20Deliver Me from the sword,
tMy7 precious life from the power of the dog.
21uSave Me from the lion’s mouth
And from the horns of the wild oxen!
vYou have answered Me.
22wI will declare Your name to xMy brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
23yYou who fear the LORD, praise Him!
All you 8descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,
And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!
24For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
Nor has He hidden His face from Him;
But zwhen He cried to Him, He heard.
25aMy praise shall be of You in the great assembly;
bI will pay My vows before those who fear Him.
26The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
Those who seek Him will praise the LORD.
Let your heart live forever!
27All the ends of the world
Shall remember and turn to the LORD,
And all the families of the 9nations
Shall worship before 10You.
28cFor the kingdom is the LORD’s,
And He rules over the nations.
29dAll the prosperous of the earth
Shall eat and worship;
eAll those who go down to 11the dust
Shall bow before Him,
Even he who cannot keep himself alive.
30A posterity shall serve Him.
It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation,
31They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born,
That He has done this.
Psalm 23
The LORD the Shepherd of His People
A Psalm of David.
1The LORD is amy shepherd;
bI shall not 1want.
2cHe makes me to lie down in 2green pastures;
dHe leads me beside the 3still waters.
3He restores my soul;
eHe leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4Yea, though I walk through the valley of fthe shadow of death,
gI will fear no evil;
hFor You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5You iprepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You janoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will 4dwell in the house of the LORD
5Forever.
Psalm 24
The King of Glory and His Kingdom
A Psalm of David.
1The aearth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein.
2For He has bfounded it upon the seas,
And established it upon the 1waters.
3cWho may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
4He who has dclean hands and ea pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor fsworn deceitfully.
5He shall receive blessing from the LORD,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6This is Jacob, the generation of those who gseek Him,
Who seek Your face. Selah
7hLift up your heads, O you gates!
And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
iAnd the King of glory shall come in.
8Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
The LORD mighty in jbattle.
9Lift up your heads, O you gates!
Lift up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
10Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
He is the King of glory. Selah
Psalm 25
A Plea for Deliverance and Forgiveness
A Psalm of David.
1To aYou, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
2O my God, I btrust in You;
Let me not be ashamed;
cLet not my enemies triumph over me.
3Indeed, let no one who 1waits on You be ashamed;
Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.
4dShow me Your ways, O LORD;
Teach me Your paths.
5Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all the day.
6Remember, O LORD, eYour tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they are from of old.
7Do not remember fthe sins of my youth, nor my transgressions;
gAccording to Your mercy remember me,
For Your goodness’ sake, O LORD.
8Good and upright is the LORD;
Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.
9The humble He guides in justice,
10All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth,
To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.
11hFor Your name’s sake, O LORD,
Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
12Who is the man that fears the LORD?
iHim shall 2He teach in the way He chooses.
13jHe himself shall dwell in 3prosperity,
And khis descendants shall inherit the earth.
14lThe secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him,
And He will show them His covenant.
15mMy eyes are ever toward the LORD,
For He shall 4pluck my feet out of the net.
16nTurn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me,
For I am 5desolate and afflicted.
17The troubles of my heart have enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses!
18oLook on my affliction and my pain,
And forgive all my sins.
19Consider my enemies, for they are many;
And they hate me with 6cruel hatred.
20Keep my soul, and deliver me;
Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You.
21Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
For I wait for You.
22pRedeem Israel, O God,
Out of all their troubles!
Psalm 26
A Prayer for Divine Scrutiny and Redemption
A Psalm of David.
1Vindicate ame, O LORD,
For I have bwalked in my integrity.
cI have also trusted in the LORD;
I shall not slip.
2dExamine me, O LORD, and 1prove me;
Try my mind and my heart.
3For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,
And eI have walked in Your truth.
4I have not fsat with idolatrous mortals,
Nor will I go in with hypocrites.
5I have ghated the assembly of evildoers,
And will not sit with the wicked.
6I will wash my hands in innocence;
So I will go about Your altar, O LORD,
7That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving,
And tell of all Your wondrous works.
8LORD, hI have loved the habitation of Your house,
And the place 2where Your glory dwells.
9iDo3 not gather my soul with sinners,
Nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
10In whose hands is a sinister scheme,
And whose right hand is full of jbribes.
11But as for me, I will walk in my integrity;
Redeem me and be merciful to me.
12kMy foot stands in an even place;
In the congregations I will bless the LORD.
The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV Page 256