Bible Society of South Africa

Bible Reading Plan – Day 110

Bible text(s)

A Prayer for God to Punish the Wicked

1Do you rulers ever give a just decision?

Do you judge everyone fairly?

2No! You think only of the evil you can do,

and commit crimes of violence in the land.

3Evildoers go wrong all their lives;

they tell lies from the day they are born.

4They are full of poison like snakes;

they stop up their ears like a deaf cobra,

5which does not hear the voice of the snake charmer,

or the chant of the clever magician.

6Break the teeth of these fierce lions, O God.

7May they disappear like water draining away;

may they be crushed like weeds on a path.

8May they be like snails that dissolve into slime;

may they be like a baby born dead that never sees the light.

9Before they know it, they are cut down like weeds;

in his fierce anger God will blow them away

while they are still living.

10The righteous will be glad when they see sinners punished;

they will wade through the blood of the wicked.

11People will say, “The righteous are indeed rewarded;

there is indeed a God who judges the world.”

A Prayer for Safety

1Save me from my enemies, my God;

protect me from those who attack me!

2Save me from those evil people;

rescue me from those murderers!

3Look! They are waiting to kill me;

cruel people are gathering against me.

It is not because of any sin or wrong I have done,

4nor because of any fault of mine, O LORD,

that they hurry to their places.

5Rise, LORD God Almighty, and come to my aid;

see for yourself, God of Israel!

Wake up and punish the heathen;

show no mercy to evil traitors!

6They come back in the evening,

snarling like dogs as they go about the city.

7Listen to their insults and threats.

Their tongues are like swords in their mouths,

yet they think that no one hears them.

8But you laugh at them, LORD;

you mock all the heathen.

9I have confidence in your strength;

you are my refuge, O God.

10My God loves me and will come to me;

he will let me see my enemies defeated.

11Do not kill them, O God, or my people may forget.

Scatter them by your strength and defeat them,

O Lord, our protector.

12Sin is on their lips; all their words are sinful;

may they be caught in their pride!

Because they curse and lie,

13destroy them in your anger;

destroy them completely.

Then everyone will know that God rules in Israel,

that his rule extends over all the earth.

14My enemies come back in the evening,

snarling like dogs as they go about the city,

15like dogs roaming about for food

and growling if they do not find enough.

16But I will sing about your strength;

every morning I will sing aloud of your constant love.

You have been a refuge for me,

a shelter in my time of trouble.

17I will praise you, my defender.

My refuge is God,

the God who loves me.

A Prayer for Deliverance

1You have rejected us, God, and defeated us;

you have been angry with us — but now turn back to us.

2You have made the land tremble, and you have cut it open;

now heal its wounds, because it is falling apart.

3You have made your people suffer greatly;

we stagger around as though we were drunk.

4You have warned those who show you reverence,

so that they might escape destruction.

5Save us by your might; answer our prayer,

so that the people you love may be rescued.

6From his sanctuary God has said,

“In triumph I will divide Shechem

and distribute the Valley of Sukkoth to my people.

7Gilead is mine, and Manasseh too;

Ephraim is my helmet

and Judah my royal sceptre.

8But I will use Moab as my washbasin

and I will throw my sandals on Edom,

as a sign that I own it.

Did the Philistines think they would shout in triumph over me?”

9Who, O God, will take me into the fortified city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

10Have you really rejected us?

Aren't you going to march out with our armies?

11Help us against the enemy;

human help is worthless.

12With God on our side we will win;

he will defeat our enemies.

A Prayer for Protection

1Hear my cry, O God;

listen to my prayer!

2In despair and far from home

I call to you!

Take me to a safe refuge,

3for you are my protector,

my strong defence against my enemies.

4Let me live in your sanctuary all my life;

let me find safety under your wings.

5You have heard my promises, O God,

and you have given me what belongs to those who honour you.

6Add many years to the king's life;

let him live on and on!

7May he rule for ever in your presence, O God;

protect him with your constant love and faithfulness.

8So I will always sing praises to you,

as I offer you daily what I have promised.

Confidence in God's Protection

1I wait patiently for God to save me;

I depend on him alone.

2He alone protects and saves me;

he is my defender,

and I shall never be defeated.

3How much longer will all of you attack someone

who is no stronger than a broken-down fence?

4You only want to bring him down from his place of honour;

you take pleasure in lies.

You speak words of blessing,

but in your heart you curse him.

5I depend on God alone;

I put my hope in him.

6He alone protects and saves me;

he is my defender,

and I shall never be defeated.

7My salvation and honour depend on God;

he is my strong protector;

he is my shelter.

8Trust in God at all times, my people.

Tell him all your troubles,

for he is our refuge.

9Human beings are all like a puff of breath;

great and small alike are worthless.

Put them on the scales, and they weigh nothing;

they are lighter than a mere breath.

10Don't put your trust in violence;

don't hope to gain anything by robbery;

even if your riches increase,

don't depend on them.

11More than once I have heard God say

that power belongs to him

12and that his love is constant.

You yourself, O Lord, reward everyone according to his deeds.

Longing for God

1O God, you are my God,

and I long for you.

My whole being desires you;

like a dry, worn-out, and waterless land,

my soul is thirsty for you.

2Let me see you in the sanctuary;

let me see how mighty and glorious you are.

3Your constant love is better than life itself,

and so I will praise you.

4I will give you thanks as long as I live;

I will raise my hands to you in prayer.

5My soul will feast and be satisfied,

and I will sing glad songs of praise to you.

6As I lie in bed, I remember you;

all night long I think of you,

7because you have always been my help.

In the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.

8I cling to you,

and your hand keeps me safe.

9Those who are trying to kill me

will go down into the world of the dead.

10They will be killed in battle,

and their bodies eaten by wolves.

11Because God gives him victory,

the king will rejoice.

Those who make promises in God's name will praise him,

but the mouths of liars will be shut.

A Prayer for Protection

1I am in trouble, God — listen to my prayer!

I am afraid of my enemies — save my life!

2Protect me from the plots of the wicked,

from evil mobs.

3They sharpen their tongues like swords

and aim cruel words like arrows.

4They are quick to spread their shameless lies;

they destroy good people with cowardly slander.

5They encourage each other in their evil plots;

they plan where to place their traps.

“No one can see them,” they say.

6They make evil plans and say,

“We have planned a perfect crime.”

The human heart and mind are a mystery.

7But God shoots his arrows at them,

and suddenly they are wounded.

8He will destroy them because of those words;

all who see them will shake their heads.

9They will all be afraid;

they will think about what God has done

and tell about his deeds.

10All righteous people will rejoice

because of what the LORD has done.

They will find safety in him;

all good people will praise him.

Praise and Thanksgiving

1O God, it is right for us to praise you in Zion

and keep our promises to you,

2because you answer prayers.

People everywhere will come to you

3on account of their sins.

Our faults defeat us,

but you forgive them.

4Happy are those whom you choose,

whom you bring to live in your sanctuary.

We shall be satisfied with the good things of your house,

the blessings of your sacred Temple.

5You answer us by giving us victory

and you do wonderful things to save us.

People all over the world

and across the distant seas trust in you.

6You set the mountains in place by your strength,

showing your mighty power.

7You calm the roar of the seas

and the noise of the waves;

you calm the uproar of the peoples.

8The whole world stands in awe

of the great things that you have done.

Your deeds bring shouts of joy

from one end of the earth to the other.

9You show your care for the land by sending rain;

you make it rich and fertile.

You fill the streams with water;

you provide the earth with crops.

This is how you do it:

10you send abundant rain on the ploughed fields

and soak them with water;

you soften the soil with showers

and cause the young plants to grow.

11What a rich harvest your goodness provides!

Wherever you go there is plenty.

12The pastures are filled with flocks;

the hillsides are full of joy.

13The fields are covered with sheep;

the valleys are full of wheat.

Everything shouts and sings for joy.

Psalms 58:1-65:13GNBOpen in Bible reader
Bible Society of South Africav.4.17.10
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