Through the Bible – Day 188

₁Don't punish me, LORD,

or even correct me

when you are angry!

₂Have pity on me and heal

my feeble body.

My bones tremble with fear,

₃and I am in deep distress.

How long will it be?

₄Turn and come to my rescue.

Show your wonderful love

and save me, LORD.

₅If I die, I cannot praise you

or even remember you.

₆My groaning has worn me out.

At night my bed and pillow

are soaked with tears.

₇Sorrow has made my eyes dim,

and my sight has failed

because of my enemies.

₈You, LORD, heard my crying,

and those hateful people

had better leave me alone.

₉You have answered my prayer

and my plea for mercy.

₁₀My enemies will be ashamed

and terrified,

as they quickly run away

in complete disgrace.

₁You, LORD God,

are my protector.

Rescue me and keep me safe

from all who chase me.

₂Or else they will rip me apart

like lions attacking a victim,

and no one will save me.

₃I am innocent, LORD God!

₄I have not betrayed a friend

or had pity on an enemy

who attacks for no reason.

₅If I have done any of this,

then let my enemies

chase and capture me.

Let them trample me to death

and leave me in the dirt.

₆Get angry, LORD God!

Do something!

Attack my furious enemies.

See that justice is done.

₇Make the nations come to you,

as you sit on your throne

above them all.

₈Our LORD, judge the nations!

Judge me and show that I

am honest and innocent.

₉You know every heart and mind,

and you always do right.

Now make violent people stop,

but protect all of us

who obey you.

₁₀You, God, are my shield,

the protector of everyone

whose heart is right.

₁₁You see that justice is done,

and each day

you take revenge.

₁₂Whenever your enemies refuse

to change their ways,

you sharpen your sword

and string your bow.

₁₃Your deadly arrows are ready

with flaming tips.

₁₄An evil person is like a woman

about to give birth

to a hateful, deceitful,

and rebellious child.

₁₅Such people dig a deep hole,

then fall in it themselves.

₁₆The trouble they cause

comes back on them,

and their heads are crushed

by their own evil deeds.

₁₇I will praise you, LORD!

You always do right.

I will sing about you,

the LORD Most High.

₁Our LORD and Ruler,

your name is wonderful

everywhere on earth!

You let your glory be seen

in the heavens above.

₂With praises from children

and from tiny infants,

you have built a fortress.

It makes your enemies silent,

and all who turn against you

are left speechless.

₃I often think of the heavens

your hands have made,

and of the moon and stars

you put in place.

₄Then I ask, “Why do you care

about us humans?

Why are you concerned

for us weaklings?”

₅You made us a little lower

than you yourself,

and you have crowned us

with glory and honour.

₆You let us rule everything

your hands have made.

And you put all of it

under our power—

₇the sheep and the cattle,

and every wild animal,

₈the birds in the sky,

the fish in the sea,

and all ocean creatures.

₉Our LORD and Ruler,

your name is wonderful

everywhere on earth!

₁I will praise you, LORD,

with all my heart

and tell about the wonders

you have worked.

₂God Most High, I will rejoice;

I will celebrate and sing

because of you.

₃When my enemies face you,

they run away and stumble

and are destroyed.

₄You take your seat as judge,

and your fair decisions prove

that I was in the right.

₅You warn the nations

and destroy evil people;

you wipe out their names

for ever and ever.

₆Our enemies are destroyed

completely for all time.

Their cities are torn down,

and they will never

be remembered again.

₇You rule for ever, LORD,

and you are on your throne,

ready for judgment.

₈You judge the world fairly

and treat all nations

with justice.

₉The poor can run to you

because you are a fortress

in times of trouble.

₁₀Everyone who honours your name

can trust you,

because you are faithful

to all who depend on you.

₁₁You rule from Zion, LORD,

and we sing about you

to let the nations know

everything you have done.

₁₂You did not forget

to punish the guilty

or listen to the cries

of those in need.

₁₃Please have mercy, LORD!

My enemies ill-treat me.

Keep me from the gates

that lead to death,

₁₄and I will sing about you

at the gate to Zion.

I will be happy there

because you rescued me.

₁₅Our LORD, the nations fell

into their own pits,

and their feet were caught

in their own traps.

₁₆You showed what you are like,

and you made certain

that justice is done,

but evil people are trapped

by their own evil deeds.

₁₇The wicked will go down

to the world of the dead

to be with those nations

that forgot about you.

₁₈The poor and the homeless

won't always be forgotten

and without hope.

₁₉Do something, LORD!

Don't let the nations win.

Make them stand trial

in your court of law.

₂₀Make the nations afraid

and let them all discover

just how weak they are.

₁Why are you far away, LORD?

Why do you hide yourself

when I am in trouble?

₂Proud and brutal people

hunt down the poor.

But let them get caught

by their own evil plans!

₃The wicked boast about

their deepest desires.

Those greedy people hate

and curse you, LORD.

₄The wicked are too proud

to turn to you

or even think about you.

₅They are always successful,

though they can't understand

your teachings,

and they keep sneering

at their enemies.

₆In their hearts they say,

“Nothing can hurt us!

We'll always be happy

and free from trouble.”

₇They curse and tell lies,

and all they talk about

is how to be cruel

or how to do wrong.

₈They hide outside villages,

waiting to strike and murder

some innocent victim.

₉They are hungry lions

hiding in the bushes,

hoping to catch

some helpless passer-by.

They trap the poor in nets

and drag them away.

₁₀They crouch down and wait

to grab a victim.

₁₁They say, “God can't see!

He's got a blindfold on.”

₁₂Do something, LORD God,

and use your powerful arm

to help those in need.

₁₃The wicked don't respect you.

In their hearts they say,

“God won't punish us!”

₁₄But you see the trouble

and the distress,

and you will do something.

The poor can count on you,

and so can orphans.

₁₅Now break the arms

of all merciless people.

Punish them for doing wrong

and make them stop.

₁₆Our LORD, you will always rule,

but nations will vanish

from the earth.

₁₇You listen to the longings

of those who suffer.

You offer them hope,

and you pay attention

to their cries for help.

₁₈You defend orphans

and everyone else in need,

so that no one on earth

can terrify others again.