Psalm 30

One of David’s songs. This song was for the dedication of the temple.*

¹Lord, you lifted me up out of my troubles. You did not let my enemies {defeat me and} laugh at me. So I will show honor to you. ²Lord my God, I prayed to you. And you healed me. ³You lifted me out of the grave. You let me live. I did not have to stay with the dead people lying in the pit.* ⁴God’s followers, sing praises to the Lord! Praise his holy name!* ⁵God was angry, so the decision was “death.” But he showed his love, and gave me “life.” At night, I lay crying. The next morning, I was happy and singing! ⁶When I was safe and secure, I thought nothing could hurt me! ⁷Yes, Lord, while you were kind to me, I felt like nothing could defeat me!* But when you turned away from me, I became scared and shook with fear. ⁸So God, I turned and prayed to you. I asked you to show mercy to me. ⁹I said, “God, what good is it if I die and go down into the grave? Dead people just lie in the dirt! They don’t praise you. They don’t tell people how much we can depend on you. ¹⁰Lord, hear my prayer and be kind to me! Lord, help me!” ¹¹{I prayed and you helped me!} You changed my crying into dancing. You took away my clothes of sadness. And you wrapped me in happiness. ¹²Lord, my God, I will praise you forever, so there will never be silence, and there will always be someone singing songs to honor you.

One of David’s songs … temple Or, “A psalm. The song for the dedication of the house. Dedicated to David.” pit Or, “world of the dead people.” name Literally, “memory” or “memorial.” I felt … defeat me Literally, “You placed me on the strong mountains”

Psalm 31

To the director.* A song of David.*

¹Lord, I depend on you. Don’t disappoint me. Be kind to me and save me. ²God, listen to me. Come quickly and save me. Be my Rock,* Be my place of safety. Be my fortress.* Protect me! ³God, you are my Rock,* So, for the good of your name, lead me and guide me. ⁴{My enemies have put a trap in front of me.} Save me from their trap. You are my place of safety. ⁵Lord, you are the God we can trust. I put my life* in your hands. Save me! ⁶I hate people who worship false gods. I trust only in the Lord. ⁷God, your kindness makes me very happy. You have seen my suffering. You know about the troubles I have. ⁸You will not let my enemies take me. You will free me from their traps. ⁹Lord, I have many troubles. So be kind to me. I am so upset that my eyes are hurting. My throat and stomach are aching. ¹⁰My life is ending in sadness. My years are passing away in sighing.* My troubles are taking away my strength. My strength is leaving me.* ¹¹My enemies hate me. And all my neighbors hate me, too. All my relatives see me in the street. They are afraid of me and avoid me. ¹²People have completely forgotten me, like some lost tool. ¹³I hear the terrible things people say about me. Those people turned against me. They plan to kill me. ¹⁴Lord, I trust you. You are my God. ¹⁵My life is in your hands. Save me from my enemies. Some people are chasing me.* Save me from them. ¹⁶Please welcome and accept your servant.* Be kind to me and save me! ¹⁷Lord, I prayed to you. So I will not be disappointed. Bad people will be disappointed. They will go to the grave in silence. ¹⁸Those bad people brag and tell lies about good people. Those bad people are very proud. But their lying lips will be silent. ¹⁹God, you have hidden away many wonderful things for your followers. You do good things in front of everyone for the people who trust you. ²⁰Bad people join together to hurt good people. Those bad people try to start fights. But you hide those good people and protect them. You protect them in your shelter. ²¹Bless the Lord! He showed his true love for me in a wonderful way when the city was surrounded by enemies. ²²I was afraid, and I said, “I am in a place where God can’t see me.” But I prayed to you, God, and you heard my loud prayers for help. ²³God’s followers, you should love the Lord! The Lord protects people that are loyal to him. But the Lord punishes people that brag about their own power. He gives them the punishment they deserve. ²⁴Be strong and brave, all of you people that are waiting for the Lord’s help!

director Or, “performer.” A song of David Or, “A song dedicated to David.” Rock A name for God to show he is a strong place of safety. fortress A building or city with tall, strong walls for protection. life Literally, “spirit.” sighing Breathing hard from sadness. My strength is leaving me Literally, “My bones are wasting away.” chasing me Or, “persecuting me,” “hurting me.” welcome … servant Literally, “let your face shine on your servant.”

Psalm 32

A maskil* of David.

¹A person is very happy.* when his sins are forgiven. {That person is very fortunate} when his sins are erased.* ²A person is very happy* when the Lord says he is not guilty. {That person is very fortunate} he didn’t hide his secret sins.* ³God, I prayed to you again and again, but I did not talk {about my secret sins}. I only became weaker every time I prayed. ⁴God, you made life harder and harder on me, day and night. I became like a dry, dry land in the hot summertime. SELAH* ⁵But then I decided to confess all my sins to the Lord. Lord, I told you about my sins. I did not hide any of my guilt. And you forgave me for all my sins! SELAH* ⁶For this reason, God, all your followers should pray to you. Your followers should pray even when troubles come like a great flood. ⁷God, you are a hiding place for me. You protect me from my troubles. You surround me and protect me. So I sing about the way you saved me. SELAH* ⁸{The Lord says,} “I will teach you and guide you on the way you should live. I will protect you and be your guide. ⁹So don’t be stupid like a horse or a donkey. People must use bits and reins* to lead those animals. Without those things, those animals will not come near* you.” ¹⁰Many pains will come to bad people. But God’s true love will surround the people that trust the Lord. ¹¹Good people, rejoice and be very happy in the Lord. All you people with pure hearts, rejoice!

maskil The exact meaning of “maskil” is not clear. It might mean “a poem of meditation,” “a poem of instruction,” or “a skillfully-written poem.” happy Or, “fortunate, blessed.” erased Or, “covered over, atoned.” he … sins Literally, “There was no deceit in his spirit.” SELAH This word is for the musicians. It probably means the singers should pause here or the music should be louder here. bits and reins A “bit” is a metal bar that fits in the mouth of an animal and helps the rider control it. “Reins” are the ropes tied to the bit and held by the rider. come near This can also mean, “to come and worship at the altar.” So God may be talking about the people coming to worship him.

Psalm 33

¹Rejoice in the Lord, good people! It is good for good people to praise him! ²Play the lyre* and praise the Lord! Play to the Lord on the ten-stringed harp. ³Sing a new song* to him. Play the happy tune beautifully! ⁴God’s word is true. You can depend on everything he does. ⁵God loves to be fair and do good things.* The Lord’s true love fills the earth! ⁶The Lord spoke the command, and the world was made. The breath from God’s mouth created everything on earth. ⁷God gathered the water from the sea into one place. He keeps the ocean in its place. ⁸Every person on earth should fear and respect the Lord. All the people in the world should fear him. ⁹Why? Because God just gives a command, and that thing happens. And if he says, “Stop!” then that thing will stop.* ¹⁰The Lord can make everyone’s advice useless. He can ruin all their plans. ¹¹But the Lord’s advice is good forever. His plans are good for generation after generation. ¹²People who have the Lord as their God are very fortunate. Why? Because God chose them to be his own special people. ¹³The Lord looked down from heaven, and he saw all the people. ¹⁴From his high throne* he looked down at all the people living on earth. ¹⁵God created every person’s mind. God knows what every person is thinking. ¹⁶A king is not saved by his own great power. A strong soldier is not saved by his own great strength. ¹⁷Horses don’t really bring victory in war. Their strength can’t really help you escape. ¹⁸The Lord watches and cares for his followers that wait for him to show his true love. ¹⁹God saves those people from death. He gives them strength when they are hungry. ²⁰So we will wait for the Lord. He helps us and he protects us. ²¹God makes us happy. We truly trust his holy name. ²²Lord, we truly worship you! So show your great love for us.

lyre(s) An instrument with several strings, like a harp. new song Whenever God did a new and wonderful thing for his people, they would write a new song about it. God loves … things Or “God loves goodness and justice.” And if … stop Or, “He gives the command, and it stands!” The word “stand” can mean “stand forever” or “stop.” throne The chair a king or queen sits on.