The Heavens Declare the Glory of God

¹The heavens declare the glory of God;the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

²Day after day they pour forth speech;night after night they reveal knowledge.

³Without speech or language,without a sound to be heard,

⁴their voicehas gone out into all the earth,their words to the ends of the world.In the heavens He has pitcheda tent for the sun.

⁵Like a bridegroom emerging from his chamber,like a champion rejoicing to run his course,

⁶it rises at one end of the heavensand runs its circuit to the other;nothing is deprived of its warmth.

⁷The Law of the LORD is perfect,reviving the soul;the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy,making wise the simple.

⁸The precepts of the LORD are right,bringing joy to the heart;the commandments of the LORD are radiant,giving light to the eyes.

⁹The fear of the LORD is pure,enduring forever;the judgments of the LORD are true,being altogether righteous.

¹⁰They are more precious than gold,than much pure gold;they are sweeter than honey,than honey from the comb.

¹¹By them indeed Your servant is warned;in keeping them is great reward.

¹²Who can discern his own errors?Cleanse me from my hidden faults.

¹³Keep Your servant also from willful sins;may they not rule over me.Then I will be blamelessand cleansed of great transgression.

¹⁴May the words of my mouthand the meditation of my heartbe pleasing in Your sight,O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

The Evanescence of Wealth

¹Hear this, all you peoples;listen, all inhabitants of the world,

²both low and high,rich and poor alike.

³My mouth will impart wisdom,and the meditation of my heart will bring understanding.

⁴I will incline my ear to a proverb;I will express my riddle with the harp:

⁵Why should I fear in times of trouble,when wicked usurpers surround me?

⁶They trust in their wealthand boast in their great riches.

⁷No man can possibly redeem his brotheror pay his ransom to God.

⁸For the redemption of his soul is costly,and never can payment suffice,

⁹that he should live on foreverand not see decay.

¹⁰For it is clear that wise men die,and the foolish and the senseless both perishand leave their wealth to others.

¹¹Their gravesare their eternal homes—their dwellings for endless generations—even though their lands were their namesakes.

¹²But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure;he is like the beasts that perish.

¹³This is the fate of the foolishand their followers who endorse their sayings.Selah

¹⁴Like sheep they are destined for Sheol.Death will be their shepherd.The upright will rule them in the morning,and their form will decay in Sheol,far from their lofty abode.

¹⁵But God will redeem my life from Sheol,for He will surely take me to Himself.Selah

¹⁶Do not be afraid when a man grows rich,when the splendor of his house increases.

¹⁷For when he dies, he will carry nothing away;his abundance will not follow him down.

¹⁸Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul—and men praise you when you prosper—

¹⁹he will join the generation of his fathers,who will never see the light of day.

²⁰A man who has riches without understandingis like the beasts that perish.

Save Me by Your Name

¹Save me, O God, by Your name,and vindicate me by Your might!

²Hear my prayer, O God;listen to the words of my mouth.

³For strangers rise up against me,and ruthless men seek my life—men with no regard for God.Selah

⁴Surely God is my helper;the Lord is the sustainer of my soul.

⁵He will reward my enemies with evil.In Your faithfulness, destroy them.

⁶Freely I will sacrifice to You;I will praise Your name, O LORD, for it is good.

⁷For He has delivered me from every trouble,and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.

Out of the Depths

¹Out of the depthsI cry to You, O LORD!

²O Lord, hear my voice;let Your ears be attentive to my plea for mercy.

³If You, O LORD, kept track of iniquities,then who, O Lord, could stand?

⁴But with You there is forgiveness,so that You may be feared.

⁵I wait for the LORD; my soul does wait,and in His word I put my hope.

⁶My soul waits for the Lordmore than watchmen wait for the morning—more than watchmen wait for the morning.

⁷O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,for with the LORD is loving devotion,and with Him is redemption in abundance.

⁸And He will redeem Israelfrom all iniquity.