Day 3 of the 30-day Psalter: Morning and Evening

LORD, who may dwell in your tabernacle? *

who may abide upon your holy hill?

Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right, *

who speaks the truth from his heart.

There is no guile upon his tongue;

he does no evil to his friend; *

he does not heap contempt upon his neighbor.

In his sight the wicked is rejected, *

but he honors those who fear the LORD.

He has sworn to do no wrong *

and does not take back his word.

He does not give his money in hope of gain, *

nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.

Whoever does these things *

shall never be overthrown.

Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you; *

I have said to the LORD, "You are my Lord,

my good above all other."

All my delight is upon the godly that are in the land, *

upon those who are noble among the people.

But those who run after other gods *

shall have their troubles multiplied.

Their libations of blood I will not offer, *

nor take the names of their gods upon my lips.

O LORD, you are my portion and my cup; *

it is you who uphold my lot.

My boundaries enclose a pleasant land; *

indeed, I have a goodly heritage.

I will bless the LORD who gives me counsel; *

my heart teaches me, night after night.

I have set the LORD always before me; *

because he is at my right hand I shall not fall.

My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; *

my body also shall rest in hope.

For you will not abandon me to the grave, *

nor let your holy one see the Pit.

You will show me the path of life; *

in your presence there is fullness of joy,

and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.

Hear my plea of innocence, O LORD;

give heed to my cry; *

listen to my prayer, which does not come from lying lips.

Let my vindication come forth from your presence; *

let your eyes be fixed on justice.

Weigh my heart, summon me by night, *

melt me down; you will find no impurity in me.

I give no offense with my mouth as others do; *

I have heeded the words of your lips.

My footsteps hold fast to the ways of your law; *

in your paths my feet shall not stumble.

I call upon you, O God, for you will answer me; *

incline your ear to me and hear my words.

Show me your marvelous loving-kindness, *

O Savior of those who take refuge at your right hand

from those who rise up against them.

Keep me as the apple of your eye; *

hide me under the shadow of your wings,

From the wicked who assault me, *

from my deadly enemies who surround me.

They have closed their heart to pity, *

and their mouth speaks proud things.

They press me hard,

now they surround me, *

watching how they may cast me to the ground,

Like a lion, greedy for its prey, *

and like a young lion lurking in secret places.

Arise, O LORD; confront them and bring them down; *

deliver me from the wicked by your sword.

Deliver me, O LORD, by your hand *

from those whose portion in life is this world;

Whose bellies you fill with your treasure, *

who are well supplied with children

and leave their wealth to their little ones.

But at my vindication I shall see your face; *

when I awake, I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.

I love you, O LORD my strength, *

O LORD my stronghold, my crag, and my haven.

My God, my rock in whom I put my trust, *

my shield, the horn of my salvation, and my refuge;

you are worthy of praise.

I will call upon the LORD, *

and so shall I be saved from my enemies.

The breakers of death rolled over me, *

and the torrents of oblivion made me afraid.

The cords of hell entangled me, *

and the snares of death were set for me.

I called upon the LORD in my distress *

and cried out to my God for help.

He heard my voice from his heavenly dwelling; *

my cry of anguish came to his ears.

The earth reeled and rocked; *

the roots of the mountains shook;

they reeled because of his anger.

Smoke rose from his nostrils

and a consuming fire out of his mouth; *

hot burning coals blazed forth from him.

He parted the heavens and came down *

with a storm cloud under his feet.

He mounted on cherubim and flew; *

he swooped on the wings of the wind.

He wrapped darkness about him; *

he made dark waters and thick clouds his pavilion.

From the brightness of his presence, through the clouds, *

burst hailstones and coals of fire.

The LORD thundered out of heaven; *

the Most High uttered his voice.

He loosed his arrows and scattered them; *

he hurled thunderbolts and routed them.

The beds of the seas were uncovered,

and the foundations of the world laid bare, *

at your battle cry, O LORD,

at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

He reached down from on high and grasped me; *

he drew me out of great waters.

He delivered me from my strong enemies

and from those who hated me; *

for they were too mighty for me.

They confronted me in the day of my disaster; *

but the LORD was my support.

He brought me out into an open place; *

he rescued me because he delighted in me.

The LORD rewarded me because of my righteous dealing; *

because my hands were clean he rewarded me;

For I have kept the ways of the LORD *

and have not offended against my God;

For all his judgments are before my eyes, *

and his decrees I have not put away from me;

For I have been blameless with him *

and have kept myself from iniquity;

Therefore the LORD rewarded me according to my righteous dealing, *

because of the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

With the faithful you show yourself faithful, O God; *

with the forthright you show yourself forthright.

With the pure you show yourself pure, *

but with the crooked you are wily.

You will save a lowly people, *

but you will humble the haughty eyes.

You, O LORD, are my lamp; *

my God, you make my darkness bright.

With you I will break down an enclosure; *

with the help of my God I will scale any wall.

As for God, his ways are perfect;

the words of the LORD are tried in the fire; *

he is a shield to all who trust in him.

For who is God, but the LORD? *

who is the Rock, except our God?

It is God who girds me about with strength *

and makes my way secure.

He makes me sure-footed like a deer *

and lets me stand firm on the heights.

He trains my hands for battle *

and my arms for bending even a bow of bronze.

You have given me your shield of victory; *

your right hand also sustains me;

your loving care makes me great.

You lengthen my stride beneath me, *

and my ankles do not give way.

I pursue my enemies and overtake them; *

I will not turn back till I have destroyed them.

I strike them down, and they cannot rise; *

they fall defeated at my feet.

You have girded me with strength for the battle; *

you have cast down my adversaries beneath me;

you have put my enemies to flight.

I destroy those who hate me;

they cry out, but there is none to help them; *

they cry to the LORD, but he does not answer.

I beat them small like dust before the wind; *

I trample them like mud in the streets.

You deliver me from the strife of the peoples; *

you put me at the head of the nations.

A people I have not known shall serve me;

no sooner shall they hear than they shall obey me; *

strangers will cringe before me.

The foreign peoples will lose heart; *

they shall come trembling out of their strongholds.

The LORD lives! Blessed is my Rock! *

Exalted is the God of my salvation!

He is the God who gave me victory *

and cast down the peoples beneath me.

You rescued me from the fury of my enemies;

you exalted me above those who rose against me; *

you saved me from my deadly foe.

Therefore will I extol you among the nations, O LORD, *

and sing praises to your Name.

He multiplies the victories of his king; *

he shows loving-kindness to his anointed,

to David and his descendants for ever.