Random Psalm Generator: All 150 Psalms, With a Psalm of the Day
Psalm 2: Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing?Nations plot, and the one who sits in the heavens laughs. He has set his king on Zion. Royal, 12 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Why do the nations rage, / and the peoples plot a vain thing? / The kings of the earth take a stand, / and the rulers take counsel together, / against Yahweh, and against his Anointed, saying, / “Let’s break their bonds apart, / and cast their cords from us.”
Random Psalm Generator: All 150 Psalms, With a Psalm of the Day: how it works
Press New psalm and one of the 150 comes up: its first line, a line on what it is about, its kind, its length and its opening verses from the World English Bible. This random psalm generator holds the whole book, so the two verses of Psalm 117 come up as often as the 176 of Psalm 119.
What each card shows
The large line is the start of verse 1, word for word from the World English Bible, which prints God's name as Yahweh where many Bibles print LORD. Under it come our summary, the kind and the verse count, then the opening verses with a slash at each line break: verses 1 to 2 for most psalms, and all of Psalms 117, 133 and 134. Numbers follow the Hebrew count. Greek and Latin Bibles join Psalms 9 and 10, so Psalm 23 here is Psalm 22 there.
Pick a kind, or a short one
Six chips sort the book by kind: 34 psalms of praise, 57 laments, 17 of thanksgiving, 14 of trust, 17 wisdom psalms and 11 royal psalms about the king. We placed each where it is most often read; scholars place some differently, and many psalms mix kinds. Songs of Ascents holds Psalms 120 to 134, which many scholars think pilgrims sang on the road up to Jerusalem. The last chip holds the 39 psalms of eight verses or fewer.
Tips
A small group can read the psalm of the day together without anyone having to choose.
No psalm comes up twice until its chip has been dealt, so 150 presses with no chip cover the whole book.
Tap a chip and its name joins the address, as in #short. Send that address and the page opens on the same chip.
Questions and answers
Which Bible translation does this page use?
The World English Bible, a public domain translation. Every verse shown was compared word for word with ebible.org in September 2026, and a line that stops early ends in an ellipsis. The rest of each psalm is free to read there. This site is not affiliated with eBible.org, which owns the name World English Bible.
Is there a psalm of the day?
Yes. One psalm is set for each date, the same for everyone, and it stays in place while you draw others. It is drawn from all 150, so the long laments get their day too.
What are the shortest and longest psalms?
Psalm 117 is the shortest, with two verses. Psalm 119 is the longest: 176 verses in 22 stanzas of eight, one for each Hebrew letter. The 150 psalms fall into five books that begin at Psalms 1, 42, 73, 90 and 107.
Psalm 103: Praise Yahweh, my soul! All that is within me, praise his holy name!Don’t forget all his benefits. As far as east is from west, so far our sins are removed. Praise, 22 verses. Verses 1 to 5: Praise Yahweh, my soul! / All that is within me, praise his holy name! / Praise Yahweh, my soul, / and don’t forget all his benefits, / who forgives all your sins, / who heals all your diseases, / who redeems your life from destruction, / who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, / who satisfies your desire with good things, / so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 104: Bless Yahweh, my soul. Yahweh, my God, you are very great.A tour of creation: springs, cedars, storks, wild goats, young lions, sea and leviathan. Praise, 35 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Bless Yahweh, my soul. / Yahweh, my God, you are very great. / You are clothed with honor and majesty. / He covers himself with light as with a garment. / He stretches out the heavens like a curtain.
Psalm 105: Give thanks to Yahweh! Call on his name!Israel’s story as praise: Abraham, Joseph sold as a slave, Moses, plagues, quail. Praise, 45 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Give thanks to Yahweh! Call on his name! / Make his doings known among the peoples. / Sing to him, sing praises to him! / Tell of all his marvelous works.
Psalm 111: Praise Yah! I will give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart…An acrostic of praise with a whole heart. The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom. Praise, 10 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Praise Yah! / I will give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart, / in the council of the upright, and in the congregation. / Yahweh’s works are great, / pondered by all those who delight in them.
Psalm 113: Praise Yah! Praise, you servants of Yahweh, praise Yahweh’s name.He raises the poor out of the dust, the needy from the ash heap. First psalm of the Hallel. Praise, 9 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Praise Yah! / Praise, you servants of Yahweh, / praise Yahweh’s name. / Blessed be Yahweh’s name, / from this time forward and forever more. / From the rising of the sun to its going down, / Yahweh’s name is to be praised.
Psalm 114: When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of foreign language…The sea saw it and fled, the Jordan was driven back, the mountains skipped like rams. Praise, 8 verses. Verses 1 to 3: When Israel went out of Egypt, / the house of Jacob from a people of foreign language, / Judah became his sanctuary, / Israel his dominion. / The sea saw it, and fled. / The Jordan was driven back.
Psalm 117: Praise Yahweh, all you nations! Extol him, all you peoples!The shortest psalm and the shortest chapter in the Bible. It calls all nations to praise. Praise, 2 verses. The whole psalm: Praise Yahweh, all you nations! / Extol him, all you peoples! / For his loving kindness is great toward us. / Yahweh’s faithfulness endures forever. / Praise Yah!
Psalm 122: I was glad when they said to me, “Let’s go to Yahweh’s house!”Glad to go to Yahweh’s house. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Praise, 9 verses. Verses 1 to 4: I was glad when they said to me, / “Let’s go to Yahweh’s house!” / Our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem! / Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together, / where the tribes go up, even Yah’s tribes, / according to an ordinance for Israel, / to give thanks to Yahweh’s name.
Psalm 134: Look! Praise Yahweh, all you servants of Yahweh, who stand by night in Yahweh’s house!For those who stand by night in Yahweh’s house: lift up your hands. Last Song of Ascents. Praise, 3 verses. The whole psalm: Look! Praise Yahweh, all you servants of Yahweh, / who stand by night in Yahweh’s house! / Lift up your hands in the sanctuary. / Praise Yahweh! / May Yahweh bless you from Zion, / even he who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 135: Praise Yah! Praise Yahweh’s name! Praise him, you servants of Yahweh, you who stand in Yahweh’s house…Praise to the maker of lightnings with the rain, set against idols of silver and gold. Praise, 21 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Praise Yah! / Praise Yahweh’s name! / Praise him, you servants of Yahweh, / you who stand in Yahweh’s house, / in the courts of our God’s house. / Praise Yah, for Yahweh is good. / Sing praises to his name, for that is pleasant.
Psalm 139: Yahweh, you have searched me, and you know me.Searched and known. No place to flee, not even the wings of the dawn. Knit in the womb. Praise, 24 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Yahweh, you have searched me, / and you know me. / You know my sitting down and my rising up. / You perceive my thoughts from afar. / You search out my path and my lying down, / and are acquainted with all my ways.
Psalm 145: I will exalt you, my God, the King. I will praise your name forever and ever.An acrostic of praise: one generation will commend your works to another. Praise, 21 verses. Verses 1 to 2: I will exalt you, my God, the King. / I will praise your name forever and ever. / Every day I will praise you. / I will extol your name forever and ever.
Psalm 146: Praise Yah! Praise Yahweh, my soul. While I live, I will praise Yahweh.Don’t put your trust in princes. Yahweh frees prisoners and opens the eyes of the blind. Praise, 10 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Praise Yah! / Praise Yahweh, my soul. / While I live, I will praise Yahweh. / I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist. / Don’t put your trust in princes, / in a son of man in whom there is no help.
Psalm 147: Praise Yah, for it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant and fitting to praise him.He counts the stars and names them, heals the broken in heart, gives snow like wool. Praise, 20 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Praise Yah, / for it is good to sing praises to our God; / for it is pleasant and fitting to praise him. / Yahweh builds up Jerusalem. / He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
Psalm 148: Praise Yah! Praise Yahweh from the heavens!Everything praises: sun and moon, sea creatures, fire and hail, kings, old men, children. Praise, 14 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Praise Yah! / Praise Yahweh from the heavens! / Praise him in the heights! / Praise him, all his angels! / Praise him, all his army! / Praise him, sun and moon! / Praise him, all you shining stars!
Psalm 149: Praise Yahweh! Sing to Yahweh a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints.A new song with dancing, tambourine and harp. Let the saints sing for joy on their beds. Praise, 9 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Praise Yahweh! / Sing to Yahweh a new song, / his praise in the assembly of the saints. / Let Israel rejoice in him who made them. / Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
Psalm 150: Praise Yah! Praise God in his sanctuary!Trumpet, harp, tambourine, flute and cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise Yah. Praise, 6 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Praise Yah! / Praise God in his sanctuary! / Praise him in his heavens for his acts of power! / Praise him for his mighty acts! / Praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Psalm 19: The heavens declare the glory of God. The expanse shows his handiwork.The heavens pour out speech day after day, and the law is sweeter than honey. Praise, 14 verses. Verses 1 to 3: The heavens declare the glory of God. / The expanse shows his handiwork. / Day after day they pour out speech, / and night after night they display knowledge. / There is no speech nor language / where their voice is not heard.
Psalm 24: The earth is Yahweh’s, with its fullness; the world, and those who dwell in it.Who may go up Yahweh’s hill? Then the gates lift their heads for the King of glory. Praise, 10 verses. Verses 1 to 2: The earth is Yahweh’s, with its fullness; / the world, and those who dwell in it. / For he has founded it on the seas, / and established it on the floods.
Psalm 29: Ascribe to Yahweh, you sons of the mighty, ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength.A thunderstorm psalm: Yahweh’s voice breaks the cedars and shakes the wilderness. Praise, 11 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Ascribe to Yahweh, you sons of the mighty, / ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength. / Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due to his name. / Worship Yahweh in holy array.
Psalm 33: Rejoice in Yahweh, you righteous! Praise is fitting for the upright.A new song on the harp of ten strings, for the one who spoke and it was done. Praise, 22 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Rejoice in Yahweh, you righteous! / Praise is fitting for the upright. / Give thanks to Yahweh with the lyre. / Sing praises to him with the harp of ten strings.
Psalm 47: Oh clap your hands, all you nations. Shout to God with the voice of triumph!Clap your hands, all you nations. God is the King of all the earth. Praise, 9 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Oh clap your hands, all you nations. / Shout to God with the voice of triumph! / For Yahweh Most High is awesome. / He is a great King over all the earth.
Psalm 48: Great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, in his holy mountain.A walk around Zion: count its towers, mark its walls, tell the next generation. Praise, 14 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised, / in the city of our God, in his holy mountain. / Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, / is Mount Zion, on the north sides, / the city of the great King.
Psalm 68: Let God arise! Let his enemies be scattered!A procession song: a father of the fatherless, singers first, ladies with tambourines. Praise, 35 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Let God arise! / Let his enemies be scattered! / Let them who hate him also flee before him. / As smoke is driven away, / so drive them away. / As wax melts before the fire, / so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
Psalm 76: In Judah, God is known. His name is great in Israel.God known in Judah, who broke the flaming arrows of the bow, the shield and the sword. Praise, 12 verses. Verses 1 to 3: In Judah, God is known. / His name is great in Israel. / His tabernacle is also in Salem. / His dwelling place in Zion. / There he broke the flaming arrows of the bow, / the shield, and the sword, and the weapons of war. / Selah.
Psalm 84: How lovely are your dwellings, Yahweh of Armies!Even the sparrow finds a home near your altars. One day in your courts beats a thousand. Praise, 12 verses. Verses 1 to 2: How lovely are your dwellings, / Yahweh of Armies! / My soul longs, and even faints for the courts of Yahweh. / My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Psalm 87: His foundation is in the holy mountains.Zion as a mother city: this one and that one was born in her. Praise, 7 verses. Verses 1 to 3: His foundation is in the holy mountains. / Yahweh loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. / Glorious things are spoken about you, city of God. / Selah.
Psalm 8: Yahweh, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!Moon and stars overhead, and the question: what is man, that you think of him? Praise, 9 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Yahweh, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! / You have set your glory above the heavens! / From the lips of babes and infants you have established strength, / because of your adversaries, that you might silence the enemy and the avenger.
Psalm 93: Yahweh reigns! He is clothed with majesty!Yahweh reigns, mightier than the sound of many waters and the breakers of the sea. Praise, 5 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Yahweh reigns! / He is clothed with majesty! / Yahweh is armed with strength. / The world also is established. / It can’t be moved. / Your throne is established from long ago. / You are from everlasting.
Psalm 95: Oh come, let’s sing to Yahweh. Let’s shout aloud to the rock of our salvation!Come, let’s sing and kneel before our Maker. Then a warning: don’t harden your heart. Praise, 11 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Oh come, let’s sing to Yahweh. / Let’s shout aloud to the rock of our salvation! / Let’s come before his presence with thanksgiving. / Let’s extol him with songs! / For Yahweh is a great God, / a great King above all gods.
Psalm 96: Sing to Yahweh a new song! Sing to Yahweh, all the earth.A new song for all the earth: let the sea roar and the trees of the woods sing. Praise, 13 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Sing to Yahweh a new song! / Sing to Yahweh, all the earth. / Sing to Yahweh! / Bless his name! / Proclaim his salvation from day to day! / Declare his glory among the nations, / his marvelous works among all the peoples.
Psalm 97: Yahweh reigns! Let the earth rejoice! Let the multitude of islands be glad!Clouds and darkness around him, lightning lights the world, mountains melt like wax. Praise, 12 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Yahweh reigns! / Let the earth rejoice! / Let the multitude of islands be glad! / Clouds and darkness are around him. / Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
Psalm 98: Sing to Yahweh a new song, for he has done marvelous things!Rivers clap their hands and mountains sing, with harp, trumpets and the ram’s horn. Praise, 9 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Sing to Yahweh a new song, / for he has done marvelous things! / His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. / Yahweh has made known his salvation. / He has openly shown his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
Psalm 99: Yahweh reigns! Let the peoples tremble.Yahweh reigns, and he is holy. Moses, Aaron and Samuel called, and he answered them. Praise, 9 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Yahweh reigns! Let the peoples tremble. / He sits enthroned among the cherubim. / Let the earth be moved. / Yahweh is great in Zion. / He is high above all the peoples.
Lament 57
Psalm 102: Hear my prayer, Yahweh! Let my cry come to you.The fifth penitential psalm: days like smoke, an owl in the waste places, a lone sparrow. Lament, 28 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Hear my prayer, Yahweh! / Let my cry come to you. / Don’t hide your face from me in the day of my distress. / Turn your ear to me. / Answer me quickly in the day when I call.
Psalm 106: Praise Yahweh! Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.The same history as confession: a calf at Horeb, grumbling in tents. It closes Book 4. Lament, 48 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Praise Yahweh! / Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, / for his loving kindness endures forever. / Who can utter the mighty acts of Yahweh, / or fully declare all his praise?
Psalm 108: My heart is steadfast, God. I will sing and I will make music with my soul.A steadfast heart and a song to wake the dawn. Its lines also appear in Psalms 57 and 60. Lament, 13 verses. Verses 1 to 3: My heart is steadfast, God. / I will sing and I will make music with my soul. / Wake up, harp and lyre! / I will wake up the dawn. / I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations. / I will sing praises to you among the peoples.
Psalm 109: God of my praise, don’t remain silent…A long run of curses on lying adversaries, from someone repaid with hatred for love. Lament, 31 verses. Verses 1 to 2: God of my praise, don’t remain silent, / for they have opened the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit against me. / They have spoken to me with a lying tongue.
Psalm 10: Why do you stand far off, Yahweh? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?Why does God stand far off while the wicked hunt the helpless? A plea for the fatherless. Lament, 18 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Why do you stand far off, Yahweh? / Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? / In arrogance, the wicked hunt down the weak. / They are caught in the schemes that they devise.
Psalm 120: In my distress, I cried to Yahweh. He answered me.Too long among people who hate peace. The first of the 15 Songs of Ascents. Lament, 7 verses. Verses 1 to 3: In my distress, I cried to Yahweh. / He answered me. / Deliver my soul, Yahweh, from lying lips, / from a deceitful tongue. / What will be given to you, and what will be done more to you, / you deceitful tongue?
Psalm 123: I lift up my eyes to you, you who sit in the heavens.Eyes fixed on Yahweh, like servants watching their master’s hand. Lament, 4 verses. Verses 1 to 2: I lift up my eyes to you, / you who sit in the heavens. / Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, / as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, / so our eyes look to Yahweh, our God, / until he has mercy on us.
Psalm 126: When Yahweh brought back those who returned to Zion, we were like those who dream.Those who sow in tears will reap in joy, and come home carrying their sheaves. Lament, 6 verses. Verses 1 to 2: When Yahweh brought back those who returned to Zion, / we were like those who dream. / Then our mouth was filled with laughter, / and our tongue with singing. / Then they said among the nations, / “Yahweh has done great things for them.”
Psalm 12: Help, Yahweh; for the godly man ceases.Flattering lips all around, and Yahweh’s words like silver refined seven times. Lament, 8 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Help, Yahweh; for the godly man ceases. / For the faithful fail from among the children of men. / Everyone lies to his neighbor. / They speak with flattering lips, and with a double heart.
Psalm 130: Out of the depths I have cried to you, Yahweh.Out of the depths. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen long for the morning. Lament, 8 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Out of the depths I have cried to you, Yahweh. / Lord, hear my voice. / Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my petitions. / If you, Yah, kept a record of sins, / Lord, who could stand?
Psalm 137: By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down.By the rivers of Babylon, harps hung on the willows. How can we sing in a foreign land? Lament, 9 verses. Verses 1 to 3: By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down. / Yes, we wept, when we remembered Zion. / On the willows in that land, / we hung up our harps. / For there, those who led us captive asked us for songs. / Those who tormented us demanded songs of joy: / “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
Psalm 13: How long, Yahweh? Will you forget me forever?‘How long?’ asked four times, then a turn to trust and a song. Lament, 6 verses. Verses 1 to 2: How long, Yahweh? / Will you forget me forever? / How long will you hide your face from me? / How long shall I take counsel in my soul, / having sorrow in my heart every day? / How long shall my enemy triumph over me?
Psalm 140: Deliver me, Yahweh, from evil men. Preserve me from violent men…Rescue from violent men who have sharpened their tongues like a serpent. Lament, 13 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Deliver me, Yahweh, from evil men. / Preserve me from violent men: / those who devise mischief in their hearts. / They continually gather themselves together for war. / They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent. / Viper’s poison is under their lips. / Selah.
Psalm 141: Yahweh, I have called on you. Come to me quickly!Let my prayer rise like incense. Set a watch before my mouth. Lament, 10 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Yahweh, I have called on you. / Come to me quickly! / Listen to my voice when I call to you. / Let my prayer be set before you like incense; / the lifting up of my hands like the evening sacrifice.
Psalm 142: I cry with my voice to Yahweh. With my voice, I ask Yahweh for mercy.A prayer from the cave: no one cares for my soul. Bring my soul out of prison. Lament, 7 verses. Verses 1 to 3: I cry with my voice to Yahweh. / With my voice, I ask Yahweh for mercy. / I pour out my complaint before him. / I tell him my troubles. / When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, / you knew my route. / On the path in which I walk, / they have hidden a snare for me.
Psalm 143: Hear my prayer, Yahweh. Listen to my petitions.My soul thirsts for you like a parched land. The last of the seven penitential psalms. Lament, 12 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Hear my prayer, Yahweh. / Listen to my petitions. / In your faithfulness and righteousness, relieve me. / Don’t enter into judgment with your servant, / for in your sight no man living is righteous.
Psalm 17: Hear, Yahweh, my righteous plea. Give ear to my prayer that doesn’t go out of deceitful lips.Keep me as the apple of your eye. Hide me under the shadow of your wings. Lament, 15 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Hear, Yahweh, my righteous plea. / Give ear to my prayer that doesn’t go out of deceitful lips. / Let my sentence come out of your presence. / Let your eyes look on equity.
Psalm 22: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?From ‘why have you forsaken me’ to praise in the great assembly. Lament, 31 verses. Verses 1 to 2: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? / Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning? / My God, I cry in the daytime, but you don’t answer; / in the night season, and am not silent.
Psalm 25: To you, Yahweh, I lift up my soul. My God, I have trusted in you.An acrostic prayer for guidance: show me your ways, teach me your paths. Lament, 22 verses. Verses 1 to 3: To you, Yahweh, I lift up my soul. / My God, I have trusted in you. / Don’t let me be shamed. / Don’t let my enemies triumph over me. / Yes, no one who waits for you will be shamed. / They will be shamed who deal treacherously without cause.
Psalm 26: Judge me, Yahweh, for I have walked in my integrity.A claim of integrity: hands washed in innocence, and love for Yahweh’s house. Lament, 12 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Judge me, Yahweh, for I have walked in my integrity. / I have trusted also in Yahweh without wavering. / Examine me, Yahweh, and prove me. / Try my heart and my mind.
Psalm 28: To you, Yahweh, I call. My rock, don’t be deaf to me, lest, if you are silent to me…A cry to a rock not to stay silent, ending in a song of thanks. Lament, 9 verses. Verse 1: To you, Yahweh, I call. / My rock, don’t be deaf to me, / lest, if you are silent to me, / I would become like those who go down into the pit.
Psalm 31: In you, Yahweh, I take refuge. Let me never be disappointed.‘Into your hand I commend my spirit.’ A plea from someone worn down by grief. Lament, 24 verses. Verses 1 to 2: In you, Yahweh, I take refuge. / Let me never be disappointed. / Deliver me in your righteousness. / Bow down your ear to me. / Deliver me speedily. / Be to me a strong rock, / a house of defense to save me.
Psalm 35: Contend, Yahweh, with those who contend with me.A call for a champion with shield and buckler against people who repay evil for good. Lament, 28 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Contend, Yahweh, with those who contend with me. / Fight against those who fight against me. / Take hold of shield and buckler, / and stand up for my help. / Brandish the spear and block those who pursue me. / Tell my soul, “I am your salvation.”
Psalm 38: Yahweh, don’t rebuke me in your wrath, neither chasten me in your hot displeasure.Sick, bowed down and kept at a distance by friends. Third of the seven penitential psalms. Lament, 22 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Yahweh, don’t rebuke me in your wrath, / neither chasten me in your hot displeasure. / For your arrows have pierced me, / your hand presses hard on me. / There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation, / neither is there any health in my bones because of my sin.
Psalm 39: I said, “I will watch my ways, so that I don’t sin with my tongue…”Days measured in hand widths, each life a breath. A vow of silence that does not hold. Lament, 13 verses. Verse 1: I said, “I will watch my ways, so that I don’t sin with my tongue. / I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked is before me.”
Psalm 3: Yahweh, how my adversaries have increased!Ringed by enemies, the singer still lies down, sleeps and wakes. The title names Absalom. Lament, 8 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Yahweh, how my adversaries have increased! / Many are those who rise up against me. / Many there are who say of my soul, / “There is no help for him in God.” / Selah.
Psalm 41: Blessed is he who considers the poor. Yahweh will deliver him in the day of evil.Sick in bed and betrayed by a close friend who ate his bread. The last psalm of Book 1. Lament, 13 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Blessed is he who considers the poor. / Yahweh will deliver him in the day of evil. / Yahweh will preserve him, and keep him alive. / He shall be blessed on the earth, / and he will not surrender him to the will of his enemies.
Psalm 42: As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants after you, God.A deer panting for water, and a refrain: why are you in despair, my soul? Lament, 11 verses. Verses 1 to 2: As the deer pants for the water brooks, / so my soul pants after you, God. / My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. / When shall I come and appear before God?
Psalm 43: Vindicate me, God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation.Send out your light and your truth. It shares its refrain with Psalm 42. Lament, 5 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Vindicate me, God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation. / Oh, deliver me from deceitful and wicked men. / For you are the God of my strength. Why have you rejected me? / Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
Psalm 44: We have heard with our ears, God; our fathers have told us what work you did in their days…We heard what you did for our fathers, so why are we beaten now? A whole nation’s lament. Lament, 26 verses. Verses 1 to 2: We have heard with our ears, God; / our fathers have told us what work you did in their days, / in the days of old. / You drove out the nations with your hand, / but you planted them. / You afflicted the peoples, / but you spread them abroad.
Psalm 51: Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness.Create in me a clean heart. The fourth penitential psalm; its title names Nathan. Lament, 19 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness. / According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. / Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. / Cleanse me from my sin.
Psalm 52: Why do you boast of mischief, mighty man?A boaster with a tongue like a sharp razor, and the singer like a green olive tree. Lament, 9 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Why do you boast of mischief, mighty man? / God’s loving kindness endures continually. / Your tongue plots destruction, / like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. / You love evil more than good, / lying rather than speaking the truth. / Selah.
Psalm 54: Save me, God, by your name. Vindicate me in your might.Strangers have risen up against me. A short plea, then thanks for rescue. Lament, 7 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Save me, God, by your name. / Vindicate me in your might. / Hear my prayer, God. / Listen to the words of my mouth. / For strangers have risen up against me. / Violent men have sought after my soul. / They haven’t set God before them. / Selah.
Psalm 55: Listen to my prayer, God. Don’t hide yourself from my supplication.Oh for wings like a dove, to fly from a city of strife and a friend turned enemy. Lament, 23 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Listen to my prayer, God. / Don’t hide yourself from my supplication. / Attend to me, and answer me. / I am restless in my complaint, / and moan / because of the voice of the enemy, / because of the oppression of the wicked. / For they bring suffering on me. / In anger they hold a grudge against me.
Psalm 56: Be merciful to me, God, for man wants to swallow me up.You count my wanderings and keep my tears. In God I trust; I will not be afraid. Lament, 13 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Be merciful to me, God, for man wants to swallow me up. / All day long, he attacks and oppresses me. / My enemies want to swallow me up all day long, / for they are many who fight proudly against me.
Psalm 57: Be merciful to me, God, be merciful to me, for my soul takes refuge in you.Hiding among lions, in the shadow of wings, the singer wakes the dawn with harp and lyre. Lament, 11 verses. Verse 1: Be merciful to me, God, be merciful to me, / for my soul takes refuge in you. / Yes, in the shadow of your wings, I will take refuge, / until disaster has passed.
Psalm 58: Do you indeed speak righteousness, silent ones?Hard words for unjust judges: deaf as a cobra that will not hear the charmers. Lament, 11 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Do you indeed speak righteousness, silent ones? / Do you judge blamelessly, you sons of men? / No, in your heart you plot injustice. / You measure out the violence of your hands on the earth.
Psalm 59: Deliver me from my enemies, my God. Set me on high from those who rise up against me.Enemies prowl the city at evening, howling like dogs. God is a high tower. Lament, 17 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Deliver me from my enemies, my God. / Set me on high from those who rise up against me. / Deliver me from the workers of iniquity. / Save me from the bloodthirsty men.
Psalm 5: Give ear to my words, Yahweh. Consider my meditation.A morning prayer for a straight way, with liars and the arrogant close by. Lament, 12 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Give ear to my words, Yahweh. / Consider my meditation. / Listen to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, / for I pray to you. / Yahweh, in the morning you will hear my voice. / In the morning I will lay my requests before you, and will watch expectantly.
Psalm 60: God, you have rejected us. You have broken us down.After a defeat: you have made the land tremble. It ends asking for help against the enemy. Lament, 12 verses. Verses 1 to 2: God, you have rejected us. / You have broken us down. / You have been angry. / Restore us, again. / You have made the land tremble. / You have torn it. / Mend its fractures, / for it quakes.
Psalm 61: Hear my cry, God. Listen to my prayer.From the end of the earth: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Lament, 8 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Hear my cry, God. / Listen to my prayer. / From the end of the earth, I will call to you when my heart is overwhelmed. / Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
Psalm 64: Hear my voice, God, in my complaint. Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.Tongues sharpened like swords and words aimed like arrows. Their own tongues ruin them. Lament, 10 verses. Verses 1 to 4: Hear my voice, God, in my complaint. / Preserve my life from fear of the enemy. / Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, / from the noisy crowd of the ones doing evil; / who sharpen their tongue like a sword, / and aim their arrows, deadly words, / to shoot innocent men from ambushes. / They shoot at him suddenly and fearlessly.
Psalm 69: Save me, God, for the waters have come up to my neck!Waters up to the neck, sinking in deep mire. They gave me vinegar for my thirst. Lament, 36 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Save me, God, / for the waters have come up to my neck! / I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold. / I have come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
Psalm 6: Yahweh, don’t rebuke me in your anger, neither discipline me in your wrath.Worn out with groaning, a bed flooded with tears. First of the seven penitential psalms. Lament, 10 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Yahweh, don’t rebuke me in your anger, / neither discipline me in your wrath. / Have mercy on me, Yahweh, for I am faint. / Yahweh, heal me, for my bones are troubled.
Psalm 70: Hurry, God, to deliver me. Come quickly to help me, Yahweh.A plea in a hurry: come quickly to help me. Much the same plea ends Psalm 40. Lament, 5 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Hurry, God, to deliver me. / Come quickly to help me, Yahweh. / Let them be disappointed and confounded who seek my soul. / Let those who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.
Psalm 71: In you, Yahweh, I take refuge. Never let me be disappointed.A prayer in old age: don’t reject me when my strength fails and my hair is gray. Lament, 24 verses. Verses 1 to 3: In you, Yahweh, I take refuge. / Never let me be disappointed. / Deliver me in your righteousness, and rescue me. / Turn your ear to me, and save me. / Be to me a rock of refuge to which I may always go. / Give the command to save me, / for you are my rock and my fortress.
Psalm 74: God, why have you rejected us forever?The sanctuary burned, its carved work smashed with hatchet and hammers. How long? Lament, 23 verses. Verses 1 to 2: God, why have you rejected us forever? / Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture? / Remember your congregation, which you purchased of old, / which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your inheritance: / Mount Zion, in which you have lived.
Psalm 77: My cry goes to God! Indeed, I cry to God for help, and for him to listen to me.A sleepless night of hard questions, answered by remembering the way through the sea. Lament, 20 verses. Verses 1 to 2: My cry goes to God! / Indeed, I cry to God for help, / and for him to listen to me. / In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord. / My hand was stretched out in the night, and didn’t get tired. / My soul refused to be comforted.
Psalm 79: God, the nations have come into your inheritance.Jerusalem laid in heaps. How long, Yahweh? Help us, God of our salvation. Lament, 13 verses. Verses 1 to 2: God, the nations have come into your inheritance. / They have defiled your holy temple. / They have laid Jerusalem in heaps. / They have given the dead bodies of your servants to be food for the birds of the sky, / the flesh of your saints to the animals of the earth.
Psalm 7: Yahweh, my God, I take refuge in you. Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me…A plea to a fair judge from someone hunted like prey by a lion. Lament, 17 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Yahweh, my God, I take refuge in you. / Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me, / lest they tear apart my soul like a lion, / ripping it in pieces, while there is no one to deliver.
Psalm 80: Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock…A vine brought out of Egypt, its walls now broken down. Refrain: cause your face to shine. Lament, 19 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, / you who lead Joseph like a flock, / you who sit above the cherubim, shine out. / Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up your might! / Come to save us!
Psalm 83: God, don’t keep silent. Don’t keep silent, and don’t be still, God.Edom, Moab, Philistia and more plot together. A plea that God not keep silent. Lament, 18 verses. Verses 1 to 2: God, don’t keep silent. / Don’t keep silent, / and don’t be still, God. / For, behold, your enemies are stirred up. / Those who hate you have lifted up their heads.
Psalm 85: Yahweh, you have been favorable to your land.Mercy and truth meet together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Lament, 13 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Yahweh, you have been favorable to your land. / You have restored the fortunes of Jacob. / You have forgiven the iniquity of your people. / You have covered all their sin. / Selah.
Psalm 86: Hear, Yahweh, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.A prayer of many short requests: teach me your way, make my heart undivided. Lament, 17 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Hear, Yahweh, and answer me, / for I am poor and needy. / Preserve my soul, for I am godly. / You, my God, save your servant who trusts in you.
Psalm 88: Yahweh, the God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before you.A cry by day and night that never turns to praise. Its last word is darkness. Lament, 18 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Yahweh, the God of my salvation, / I have cried day and night before you. / Let my prayer enter into your presence. / Turn your ear to my cry. / For my soul is full of troubles. / My life draws near to Sheol.
Psalm 90: Lord, you have been our dwelling place for all generations.A thousand years are like yesterday. Teach us to count our days. The title names Moses. Lament, 17 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Lord, you have been our dwelling place for all generations. / Before the mountains were born, / before you had formed the earth and the world, / even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.
Psalm 94: Yahweh, you God to whom vengeance belongs, you God to whom vengeance belongs, shine out.A call to the judge of the earth. He who implanted the ear, won’t he hear? Lament, 23 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Yahweh, you God to whom vengeance belongs, / you God to whom vengeance belongs, shine out. / Rise up, you judge of the earth. / Pay back the proud what they deserve.
Thanksgiving 17
Psalm 100: Shout for joy to Yahweh, all you lands!Serve with gladness, come with singing, enter his gates with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, 5 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Shout for joy to Yahweh, all you lands! / Serve Yahweh with gladness. / Come before his presence with singing. / Know that Yahweh, he is God. / It is he who has made us, and we are his. / We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Psalm 107: Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.Four rescues: lost in the desert, captives in chains, the sick, sailors in a storm. Thanksgiving, 43 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, / for his loving kindness endures forever. / Let the redeemed by Yahweh say so, / whom he has redeemed from the hand of the adversary, / and gathered out of the lands, / from the east and from the west, / from the north and from the south.
Psalm 116: I love Yahweh, because he listens to my voice, and my cries for mercy.I love Yahweh because he listens. I will take the cup of salvation and pay my vows. Thanksgiving, 19 verses. Verses 1 to 2: I love Yahweh, because he listens to my voice, / and my cries for mercy. / Because he has turned his ear to me, / therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
Psalm 118: Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.The stone the builders rejected became the cornerstone. Last psalm of the Hallel. Thanksgiving, 29 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, / for his loving kindness endures forever. / Let Israel now say / that his loving kindness endures forever. / Let the house of Aaron now say / that his loving kindness endures forever.
Psalm 124: If it had not been Yahweh who was on our side, let Israel now say…If Yahweh had not been on our side. We escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare. Thanksgiving, 8 verses. Verses 1 to 4: If it had not been Yahweh who was on our side, / let Israel now say, / if it had not been Yahweh who was on our side, / when men rose up against us, / then they would have swallowed us up alive, / when their wrath was kindled against us, / then the waters would have overwhelmed us, / the stream would have gone over our soul.
Psalm 136: Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.All 26 verses end the same way: ‘for his loving kindness endures forever’. Thanksgiving, 26 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, / for his loving kindness endures forever. / Give thanks to the God of gods, / for his loving kindness endures forever. / Give thanks to the Lord of lords, / for his loving kindness endures forever;
Psalm 138: I will give you thanks with my whole heart.Thanks with a whole heart: though Yahweh is high, he looks after the lowly. Thanksgiving, 8 verses. Verses 1 to 2: I will give you thanks with my whole heart. / Before the gods, I will sing praises to you. / I will bow down toward your holy temple, / and give thanks to your Name for your loving kindness and for your truth; / for you have exalted your Name and your Word above all.
Psalm 30: I will extol you, Yahweh, for you have raised me up, and have not made my foes to rejoice over me.Weeping stays the night, joy comes in the morning, mourning turns to dancing. Thanksgiving, 12 verses. Verses 1 to 2: I will extol you, Yahweh, for you have raised me up, / and have not made my foes to rejoice over me. / Yahweh my God, I cried to you, / and you have healed me.
Psalm 32: Blessed is he whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is covered.The relief of owning up: silence wasted the bones, confession brought forgiveness. Thanksgiving, 11 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Blessed is he whose disobedience is forgiven, / whose sin is covered. / Blessed is the man to whom Yahweh doesn’t impute iniquity, / in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Psalm 34: I will bless Yahweh at all times. His praise will always be in my mouth.Taste and see that Yahweh is good. Acrostic thanks from someone freed from fear. Thanksgiving, 22 verses. Verses 1 to 2: I will bless Yahweh at all times. / His praise will always be in my mouth. / My soul shall boast in Yahweh. / The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Psalm 40: I waited patiently for Yahweh. He turned to me, and heard my cry.Lifted out of the miry clay, feet set on a rock, and a new song to sing. Thanksgiving, 17 verses. Verses 1 to 2: I waited patiently for Yahweh. / He turned to me, and heard my cry. / He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, / out of the miry clay. / He set my feet on a rock, / and gave me a firm place to stand.
Psalm 65: Praise waits for you, God, in Zion. Vows shall be performed to you.Harvest thanks: drenched furrows, carts that overflow, valleys clothed with grain. Thanksgiving, 13 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Praise waits for you, God, in Zion. / Vows shall be performed to you. / You who hear prayer, / all men will come to you. / Sins overwhelmed me, / but you atoned for our transgressions.
Psalm 66: Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!Come and see God’s deeds: the sea turned to dry land, a people refined like silver. Thanksgiving, 20 verses. Verses 1 to 4: Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! / Sing to the glory of his name! / Offer glory and praise! / Tell God, “How awesome are your deeds! / Through the greatness of your power, your enemies submit themselves to you. / All the earth will worship you, / and will sing to you; / they will sing to your name.” / Selah.
Psalm 67: May God be merciful to us, bless us, and cause his face to shine on us.May God’s face shine on us, and let all the peoples give thanks. Thanksgiving, 7 verses. Verses 1 to 3: May God be merciful to us, bless us, / and cause his face to shine on us. / Selah. / That your way may be known on earth, / and your salvation among all nations, / let the peoples praise you, God. / Let all the peoples praise you.
Psalm 75: We give thanks to you, God. We give thanks, for your Name is near.God is the judge: he puts down one and lifts up another. Don’t lift up your horn. Thanksgiving, 10 verses. Verses 1 to 2: We give thanks to you, God. / We give thanks, for your Name is near. / Men tell about your wondrous works. / When I choose the appointed time, / I will judge blamelessly.
Psalm 92: It is a good thing to give thanks to Yahweh, to sing praises to your name, Most High…Titled for the Sabbath day. The righteous flourish like a palm tree and a cedar. Thanksgiving, 15 verses. Verses 1 to 3: It is a good thing to give thanks to Yahweh, / to sing praises to your name, Most High, / to proclaim your loving kindness in the morning, / and your faithfulness every night, / with the ten-stringed lute, with the harp, / and with the melody of the lyre.
Psalm 9: I will give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart.Thanks for justice done for the oppressed. Greek Bibles join it to Psalm 10. Thanksgiving, 20 verses. Verses 1 to 2: I will give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart. / I will tell of all your marvelous works. / I will be glad and rejoice in you. / I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
Trust 14
Psalm 115: Not to us, Yahweh, not to us, but to your name give glory…Glory not to us but to your name. Idols have mouths but don’t speak, eyes but don’t see. Trust, 18 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Not to us, Yahweh, not to us, / but to your name give glory, / for your loving kindness, and for your truth’s sake. / Why should the nations say, / “Where is their God, now?”
Psalm 11: In Yahweh, I take refuge. How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”?Told to flee like a bird to the mountain, the singer stays and takes refuge in Yahweh. Trust, 7 verses. Verses 1 to 2: In Yahweh, I take refuge. / How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”? / For, behold, the wicked bend their bows. / They set their arrows on the strings, / that they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
Psalm 121: I will lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from?I lift my eyes to the hills. He who keeps you will neither slumber nor sleep. Trust, 8 verses. Verses 1 to 3: I will lift up my eyes to the hills. / Where does my help come from? / My help comes from Yahweh, / who made heaven and earth. / He will not allow your foot to be moved. / He who keeps you will not slumber.
Psalm 125: Those who trust in Yahweh are as Mount Zion, which can’t be moved, but remains forever.As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so Yahweh surrounds his people. Trust, 5 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Those who trust in Yahweh are as Mount Zion, / which can’t be moved, but remains forever. / As the mountains surround Jerusalem, / so Yahweh surrounds his people from this time forward and forever more.
Psalm 129: Many times they have afflicted me from my youth up.The plowers plowed long furrows on my back, yet they have not won. Trust, 8 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Many times they have afflicted me from my youth up. / Let Israel now say: / many times they have afflicted me from my youth up, / yet they have not prevailed against me.
Psalm 131: Yahweh, my heart isn’t arrogant, nor my eyes lofty; nor do I concern myself with great matters…A soul stilled and quieted, like a weaned child with his mother. Trust, 3 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Yahweh, my heart isn’t arrogant, nor my eyes lofty; / nor do I concern myself with great matters, / or things too wonderful for me. / Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul, / like a weaned child with his mother, / like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Psalm 16: Preserve me, God, for I take refuge in you.Yahweh as a portion and a cup, pleasant places, and the path of life. Trust, 11 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Preserve me, God, for I take refuge in you. / My soul, you have said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord. / Apart from you I have no good thing.”
Psalm 23: Yahweh is my shepherd; I shall lack nothing.A shepherd, green pastures, still waters and a cup that runs over. Trust, 6 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Yahweh is my shepherd; / I shall lack nothing. / He makes me lie down in green pastures. / He leads me beside still waters. / He restores my soul. / He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Psalm 27: Yahweh is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?Light, salvation and one request: to live in Yahweh’s house all the days of my life. Trust, 14 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Yahweh is my light and my salvation. / Whom shall I fear? / Yahweh is the strength of my life. / Of whom shall I be afraid? / When evildoers came at me to eat up my flesh, / even my adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell.
Psalm 46: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.A refuge when the mountains shake. Be still, and know that I am God. Trust, 11 verses. Verses 1 to 3: God is our refuge and strength, / a very present help in trouble. / Therefore we won’t be afraid, though the earth changes, / though the mountains are shaken into the heart of the seas; / though its waters roar and are troubled, / though the mountains tremble with their swelling. / Selah.
Psalm 4: Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness.An evening prayer that ends with lying down in peace to sleep. Trust, 8 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness. / Give me relief from my distress. / Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer. / You sons of men, how long shall my glory be turned into dishonor? / Will you love vanity and seek after falsehood? / Selah.
Psalm 62: My soul rests in God alone. My salvation is from him.My soul rests in God alone: rock, salvation, fortress. Don’t set your heart on riches. Trust, 12 verses. Verses 1 to 3: My soul rests in God alone. / My salvation is from him. / He alone is my rock, my salvation, and my fortress. / I will never be greatly shaken. / How long will you assault a man? / Would all of you throw him down, / like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?
Psalm 63: God, you are my God. I will earnestly seek you.Thirst in a dry and weary land, and thoughts of God through the night watches. Trust, 11 verses. Verse 1: God, you are my God. / I will earnestly seek you. / My soul thirsts for you. / My flesh longs for you, / in a dry and weary land, where there is no water.
Psalm 91: He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.Refuge under wings: no fear of the terror by night or the arrow that flies by day. Trust, 16 verses. Verses 1 to 2: He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High / will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. / I will say of Yahweh, “He is my refuge and my fortress; / my God, in whom I trust.”
Wisdom 17
Psalm 112: Praise Yah! Blessed is the man who fears Yahweh, who delights greatly in his commandments.An acrostic portrait of someone who fears Yahweh: lends freely, unafraid of evil news. Wisdom, 10 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Praise Yah! / Blessed is the man who fears Yahweh, / who delights greatly in his commandments. / His offspring will be mighty in the land. / The generation of the upright will be blessed.
Psalm 119: Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to Yahweh’s law.The longest psalm: 22 stanzas of eight verses, one for each Hebrew letter. Wisdom, 176 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, / who walk according to Yahweh’s law. / Blessed are those who keep his statutes, / who seek him with their whole heart. / Yes, they do nothing wrong. / They walk in his ways.
Psalm 127: Unless Yahweh builds the house, they who build it labor in vain.Unless Yahweh builds the house, the work is in vain. Children are like arrows in a quiver. Wisdom, 5 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Unless Yahweh builds the house, / they who build it labor in vain. / Unless Yahweh watches over the city, / the watchman guards it in vain. / It is vain for you to rise up early, / to stay up late, / eating the bread of toil, / for he gives sleep to his loved ones.
Psalm 128: Blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh, who walks in his ways.A blessing on a home: a wife like a fruitful vine, children like olive shoots. Wisdom, 6 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh, / who walks in his ways. / For you will eat the labor of your hands. / You will be happy, and it will be well with you.
Psalm 133: See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity!Living in unity is like fine oil on Aaron’s beard, like the dew of Hermon. Wisdom, 3 verses. The whole psalm: See how good and how pleasant it is / for brothers to live together in unity! / It is like the precious oil on the head, / that ran down on the beard, / even Aaron’s beard, / that came down on the edge of his robes, / like the dew of Hermon, / that comes down on the hills of Zion; / for there Yahweh gives the blessing, / even life forever more.
Psalm 14: The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”The fool says there is no God. Almost the same poem as Psalm 53. Wisdom, 7 verses. Verses 1 to 2: The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” / They are corrupt. / They have done abominable deeds. / There is no one who does good. / Yahweh looked down from heaven on the children of men, / to see if there were any who understood, / who sought after God.
Psalm 15: Yahweh, who shall dwell in your sanctuary?Who may live on the holy hill? A short list: truth from the heart, kept oaths, no bribes. Wisdom, 5 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Yahweh, who shall dwell in your sanctuary? / Who shall live on your holy hill? / He who walks blamelessly and does what is right, / and speaks truth in his heart;
Psalm 1: Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand on the path of sinners…Two paths: a tree planted by streams of water, or chaff that the wind drives away. Wisdom, 6 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, / nor stand on the path of sinners, / nor sit in the seat of scoffers; / but his delight is in Yahweh’s law. / On his law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 36: A revelation is within my heart about the disobedience of the wicked…The wicked flatter themselves. God’s loving kindness reaches to the heavens. Wisdom, 12 verses. Verses 1 to 2: A revelation is within my heart about the disobedience of the wicked: / There is no fear of God before his eyes. / For he flatters himself in his own eyes, / too much to detect and hate his sin.
Psalm 37: Don’t fret because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness.Don’t fret over evildoers. An acrostic of sayings: the humble shall inherit the land. Wisdom, 40 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Don’t fret because of evildoers, / neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness. / For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, / and wither like the green herb.
Psalm 49: Hear this, all you peoples. Listen, all you inhabitants of the world, both low and high…A riddle set to the harp: no one can pay enough to buy a way past death. Wisdom, 20 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Hear this, all you peoples. / Listen, all you inhabitants of the world, / both low and high, / rich and poor together. / My mouth will speak words of wisdom. / My heart will utter understanding.
Psalm 50: The Mighty One, God, Yahweh, speaks, and calls the earth from sunrise to sunset.God as judge: every animal of the forest is mine, and the livestock on a thousand hills. Wisdom, 23 verses. Verses 1 to 3: The Mighty One, God, Yahweh, speaks, / and calls the earth from sunrise to sunset. / Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, / God shines out. / Our God comes, and does not keep silent. / A fire devours before him. / It is very stormy around him.
Psalm 53: The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”The fool says there is no God. Almost the same poem as Psalm 14. Wisdom, 6 verses. Verses 1 to 2: The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” / They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity. / There is no one who does good. / God looks down from heaven on the children of men, / to see if there are any who understood, / who seek after God.
Psalm 73: Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.Envy of the prosperous wicked nearly made the singer slip, until he entered the sanctuary. Wisdom, 28 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Surely God is good to Israel, / to those who are pure in heart. / But as for me, my feet were almost gone. / My steps had nearly slipped. / For I was envious of the arrogant, / when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Psalm 78: Hear my teaching, my people. Turn your ears to the words of my mouth.A history lesson from Egypt to David the shepherd. The second longest psalm. Wisdom, 72 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Hear my teaching, my people. / Turn your ears to the words of my mouth. / I will open my mouth in a parable. / I will utter dark sayings of old, / which we have heard and known, / and our fathers have told us.
Psalm 81: Sing aloud to God, our strength! Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob!Blow the trumpet at the New Moon. God answers: open your mouth wide and I will fill it. Wisdom, 16 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Sing aloud to God, our strength! / Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob! / Raise a song, and bring here the tambourine, / the pleasant lyre with the harp.
Psalm 82: God presides in the great assembly. He judges among the gods.God stands in the great assembly and tells the judges to defend the weak and fatherless. Wisdom, 8 verses. Verses 1 to 4: God presides in the great assembly. / He judges among the gods. / “How long will you judge unjustly, / and show partiality to the wicked?” / Selah. / “Defend the weak, the poor, and the fatherless. / Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. / Rescue the weak and needy. / Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.”
Royal 11
Psalm 101: I will sing of loving kindness and justice.A ruler’s promise: a blameless house, no slander, no room for the arrogant. Royal, 8 verses. Verses 1 to 2: I will sing of loving kindness and justice. / To you, Yahweh, I will sing praises. / I will be careful to live a blameless life. / When will you come to me? / I will walk within my house with a blameless heart.
Psalm 110: Yahweh says to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool for your feet.”Sit at my right hand. A priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. Royal, 7 verses. Verses 1 to 2: Yahweh says to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, / until I make your enemies your footstool for your feet.” / Yahweh will send out the rod of your strength out of Zion. / Rule among your enemies.
Psalm 132: Yahweh, remember David and all his affliction, how he swore to Yahweh…David’s vow to find a place for the ark, and Yahweh’s oath to David in return. Royal, 18 verses. Verses 1 to 5: Yahweh, remember David and all his affliction, / how he swore to Yahweh, / and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: / “Surely I will not come into the structure of my house, / nor go up into my bed; / I will not give sleep to my eyes, / or slumber to my eyelids, / until I find out a place for Yahweh, / a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Psalm 144: Blessed be Yahweh, my rock, who trains my hands to war, and my fingers to battle…A king’s prayer: man is like a breath. Then a picture of full barns and quiet streets. Royal, 15 verses. Verse 1: Blessed be Yahweh, my rock, / who trains my hands to war, / and my fingers to battle…
Psalm 18: I love you, Yahweh, my strength. Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer…A long victory song: rock, fortress, shield. With 50 verses it is the longest in Book 1. Royal, 50 verses. Verses 1 to 2: I love you, Yahweh, my strength. / Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; / my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; / my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
Psalm 20: May Yahweh answer you in the day of trouble.A blessing before battle: some trust in chariots, some in horses, we in Yahweh’s name. Royal, 9 verses. Verses 1 to 3: May Yahweh answer you in the day of trouble. / May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high, / send you help from the sanctuary, / grant you support from Zion, / remember all your offerings, / and accept your burned sacrifice. / Selah.
Psalm 21: The king rejoices in your strength, Yahweh!Thanks for a king’s victory, and a crown of fine gold on his head. Royal, 13 verses. Verses 1 to 2: The king rejoices in your strength, Yahweh! / How greatly he rejoices in your salvation! / You have given him his heart’s desire, / and have not withheld the request of his lips. / Selah.
Psalm 2: Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing?Nations plot, and the one who sits in the heavens laughs. He has set his king on Zion. Royal, 12 verses. Verses 1 to 3: Why do the nations rage, / and the peoples plot a vain thing? / The kings of the earth take a stand, / and the rulers take counsel together, / against Yahweh, and against his Anointed, saying, / “Let’s break their bonds apart, / and cast their cords from us.”
Psalm 45: My heart overflows with a noble theme.A royal wedding song: a skillful writer’s pen, a king, and a queen in gold of Ophir. Royal, 17 verses. Verses 1 to 2: My heart overflows with a noble theme. / I recite my verses for the king. / My tongue is like the pen of a skillful writer. / You are the most excellent of the sons of men. / Grace has anointed your lips, / therefore God has blessed you forever.
Psalm 72: God, give the king your justice; your righteousness to the royal son.A prayer for a just king who defends the poor. It closes Book 2 and ‘the prayers by David’. Royal, 20 verses. Verses 1 to 3: God, give the king your justice; / your righteousness to the royal son. / He will judge your people with righteousness, / and your poor with justice. / The mountains shall bring prosperity to the people. / The hills bring the fruit of righteousness.
Psalm 89: I will sing of the loving kindness of Yahweh forever.The promise to David’s throne sung in full, then: where is it now? It closes Book 3. Royal, 52 verses. Verses 1 to 2: I will sing of the loving kindness of Yahweh forever. / With my mouth, I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. / I indeed declare, “Love stands firm forever. / You established the heavens. / Your faithfulness is in them.”
How this list was compiled: All 150 psalms, one item each. The opening line shown for each psalm, and the longer opening saved with it, are quoted word for word from the World English Bible (WEB), which is in the public domain (https://ebible.org/eng-web/copyright.htm). A line that stops early ends in an ellipsis. The line under each psalm gives our own summary, the kind and the verse count, then the opening verses in full with a slash at each line break: verses 1 to 2 for most psalms, up to verse 5 for a few, and the whole of Psalms 117, 133 and 134. Psalm 144 shows verse 1 only and stops with an ellipsis where the translation prints a long dash, which this site does not print; the saved opening (x.opening) keeps the full wording. Each item saves the address of its chapter page, https://ebible.org/eng-web/PSA001.htm to https://ebible.org/eng-web/PSA150.htm. All 150 chapter pages were fetched on 2026-09-18, and the verse counts (2,461 in all), the 116 titles and the five book headings were counted from those pages. The line under each psalm is our own summary; every image it names was checked by machine and by eye against the WEB text of that psalm on 2026-09-18, and so were the notes on twin psalms (14 and 53, 40 and 70, 57 and 60 with 108) and on the refrain of Psalm 136. The sorting into praise, lament, thanksgiving, trust, wisdom and royal psalms is our own reading of each psalm, using the kinds first described by Hermann Gunkel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psalms). Other lists sort some psalms differently, and many psalms mix kinds. Checked on Wikipedia on 2026-09-18: the five books and the Hebrew and Greek numbering (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psalms), the seven penitential psalms (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penitential_psalms), the Hallel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallel), the Songs of Ascents (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_of_Ascents), the acrostic psalms (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrostic), and the shortest and longest chapter in the Bible (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psalm_117 and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psalm_119). The King James Version is not used. Second pass by the page writer: all 150 lines reread against the source pages on 2026-09-18. Fix pass on 2026-09-19: all 150 chapter pages were fetched again from https://ebible.org/eng-web/ (the older https://ebible.org/web/ chapter addresses now redirect there, and the older copyright address no longer answers), and a script compared every saved opening, line by line, and every verse count with the live pages: 150 of 150 match. "World English Bible" is a trademark of eBible.org, used here to name the translation; the Bible text is unchanged. This site is not affiliated with eBible.org. Licence: Bible text: World English Bible, public domain, https://ebible.org/eng-web/copyright.htm. Summaries and sorting: own work.