Today's prayer: May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame.

Psalm 129

1

Psalm 129 A song of ascents.

1

They have greatly oppressed me from my youth-- let Israel say--

2

they have greatly oppressed me from my youth, but they have not gained the victory over me.

3

Plowmen have plowed my back and made their furrows long.

4

But the LORD is righteous; he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.

5

May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame.

6

May they be like grass on the roof, which withers before it can grow;

7

with it the reaper cannot fill his hands, nor the one who gathers fill his arms.

8

May those who pass by not say, "The blessing of the LORD be upon you; we bless you in the name of the LORD."

Today's prayer: May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 115

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Psalm 115

1

Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.

2

Why do the nations say, "Where is their God?"

3

Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.

4

But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.

5

They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see;

6

they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell;

7

they have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a sound with their throats.

8

Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.

9

O house of Israel, trust in the LORD-- he is their help and shield.

10

O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD-- he is their help and shield.

11

You who fear him, trust in the LORD-- he is their help and shield.

12

The LORD remembers us and will bless us: He will bless the house of Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron,

13

he will bless those who fear the LORD-- small and great alike.

14

May the LORD make you increase, both you and your children.

15

May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

16

The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to man.

17

It is not the dead who praise the LORD, those who go down to silence;

18

it is we who extol the LORD, both now and forevermore. Praise the LORD. ^[1]

Today's bible teaching: The LORD hears the needy and does not despise his captive people

Psalm 69

1

Psalm 69 For the director of music. To [the tune of] "Lilies." Of David.

1

Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.

2

I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.

3

I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.

4

Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal.

5

You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you.

6

May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O Lord, the LORD Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me, O God of Israel.

7

For I endure scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face.

8

I am a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my own mother's sons;

9

for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.

10

When I weep and fast, I must endure scorn;

11

when I put on sackcloth, people make sport of me.

12

Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of the drunkards.

13

But I pray to you, O LORD, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation.

14

Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters.

15

Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me.

16

Answer me, O LORD, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me.

17

Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.

18

Come near and rescue me; redeem me because of my foes.

19

You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed; all my enemies are before you.

20

Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none.

21

They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.

22

May the table set before them become a snare; may it become retribution and ^[1] a trap.

23

May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.

24

Pour out your wrath on them; let your fierce anger overtake them.

25

May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents.

26

For they persecute those you wound and talk about the pain of those you hurt.

27

Charge them with crime upon crime; do not let them share in your salvation.

28

May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.

29

I am in pain and distress; may your salvation, O God, protect me.

30

I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

31

This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs.

32

The poor will see and be glad-- you who seek God, may your hearts live!

33

The LORD hears the needy and does not despise his captive people.

34

Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them,

35

for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there and possess it;

36

the children of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there.

Today's praises: Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.

Psalm 105

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Psalm 105

1

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.

2

Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.

3

Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

4

Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

5

Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

6

O descendants of Abraham his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.

7

He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.

8

He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations,

9

the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.

10

He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

11

"To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit."

12

When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it,

13

they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.

14

He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings:

15

"Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm."

16

He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food;

17

and he sent a man before them-- Joseph, sold as a slave.

18

They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons,

19

till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the LORD proved him true.

20

The king sent and released him, the ruler of peoples set him free.

21

He made him master of his household, ruler over all he possessed,

22

to instruct his princes as he pleased and teach his elders wisdom.

23

Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.

24

The LORD made his people very fruitful; he made them too numerous for their foes,

25

whose hearts he turned to hate his people, to conspire against his servants.

26

He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen.

27

They performed his miraculous signs among them, his wonders in the land of Ham.

28

He sent darkness and made the land dark-- for had they not rebelled against his words?

29

He turned their waters into blood, causing their fish to die.

30

Their land teemed with frogs, which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.

31

He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country.

32

He turned their rain into hail, with lightning throughout their land;

33

he struck down their vines and fig trees and shattered the trees of their country.

34

He spoke, and the locusts came, grasshoppers without number;

35

they ate up every green thing in their land, ate up the produce of their soil.

36

Then he struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their manhood.

37

He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold, and from among their tribes no one faltered.

38

Egypt was glad when they left, because dread of Israel had fallen on them.

39

He spread out a cloud as a covering, and a fire to give light at night.

40

They asked, and he brought them quail and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

41

He opened the rock, and water gushed out; like a river it flowed in the desert.

42

For he remembered his holy promise given to his servant Abraham.

43

He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy;

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he gave them the lands of the nations, and they fell heir to what others had toiled for--

45

that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws. Praise the LORD. 

Today's praises: Praise the LORD. Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD.

Psalm 113

1

Psalm 113

1

Praise the LORD. ^[1] Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD.

2

Let the name of the LORD be praised, both now and forevermore.

3

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.

4

The LORD is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens.

5

Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high,

6

who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?

7

He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap;

8

he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people.

9

He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the LORD.

Today's praises: Praise the LORD. I will extol the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly

Psalm 111

1

Psalm 111 

1

Praise the LORD. I will extol the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

2

Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.

3

Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.

4

He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate.

5

He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.

6

He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.

7

The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.

8

They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness.

9

He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever-- holy and awesome is his name.

10

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

Today's praises: Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise him in the heights above

Psalm 148

1

Psalm 148

1

Praise the LORD. ^[1] Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise him in the heights above.

2

Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

3

Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars.

4

Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.

5

Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created.

6

He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away.

7

Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

8

lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding,

9

you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars,

10

wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds,

11

kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth,

12

young men and maidens, old men and children.

13

Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

14

He has raised up for his people a horn, ^[2] the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart. Praise the LORD.