The cords of the wicked have encircled and ensnared me,
But I have not forgotten Your law.
At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You
Because of Your righteous ordinances.
I am a companion of all who [reverently] fear You,
And of those who keep and honor Your precepts.
The earth, O LORD, is full of Your lovingkindness and goodness;
Teach me Your statutes.
¶You have dealt well with Your servant,
O LORD, according to Your promise.
Teach me good judgment (discernment) and knowledge,
For I have believed and trusted and relied on Your commandments.
Before I was afflicted I went astray,
But now I keep and honor Your word [with loving obedience].
You are good and do good;
Teach me Your statutes.
The arrogant have forged a lie against me,
But I will keep Your precepts with all my heart.
Their heart is insensitive like fat [their minds are dull and brutal],
But I delight in Your law.
It is good for me that I have been afflicted,
That I may learn Your statutes.
The law from Your mouth is better to me
Than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
¶Your hands have made me and established me;
Give me understanding and a teachable heart, that I may learn Your commandments.
May those who [reverently] fear You see me and be glad,
Because I wait for Your word.
I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are fair,
And that in faithfulness You have disciplined me. [Heb 12:10]
O may Your lovingkindness and graciousness comfort me,
According to Your word (promise) to Your servant.
Let Your compassion come to me that I may live,
For Your law is my delight.
Let the arrogant be ashamed and humiliated, for they sabotage me with a lie;
But I will meditate on Your precepts.
May those who fear You [with submissive wonder] turn to me,
Even those who have known Your testimonies.
May my heart be blameless in Your statutes,
So that I will not be ashamed.
¶My soul languishes and grows weak for Your salvation;
I wait for Your word.
My eyes fail [with longing, watching] for [the fulfillment of] Your promise,
Saying, “When will You comfort me?”
For I have become like a wineskin [blackened and shriveled] in the smoke [in which it hangs],
Yet I do not forget Your statutes.
How many are the days of Your servant [which he must endure]?
When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me? [Rev 6:10]
The arrogant (godless) have dug pits for me,
Men who do not conform to Your law.
All Your commandments are faithful and trustworthy.
They have persecuted me with a lie; help me [LORD]!
They had almost destroyed me on earth,
But as for me, I did not turn away from Your precepts.
According to Your steadfast love refresh me and give me life,
So that I may keep and obey the testimony of Your mouth.
¶Forever, O LORD,
Your word is settled in heaven [standing firm and unchangeable]. [Ps 89:2; Matt 24:34, 35; 1 Pet 1:25]
Your faithfulness continues from generation to generation;
You have established the earth, and it stands [securely].
They continue this day according to Your ordinances,
For all things [all parts of the universe] are Your servants. [Jer 33:25]
If Your law had not been my delight,
Then I would have perished in my time of trouble.
I will never forget Your precepts,
For by them You have revived me and given me life.
I am Yours, save me [as Your own];
For I have [diligently] sought Your precepts and required them [as my greatest need]. [Ps 42:1]
The wicked wait for me to destroy me,
But I will consider Your testimonies.
I have seen that all [human] perfection has its limits [no matter how grand and perfect and noble];
Your commandment is exceedingly broad and extends without limits [into eternity]. [Rom 3:10-19]
¶Oh, how I love Your law!
It is my meditation all the day. [Ps 1:2]
Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies,
For Your words are always with me.
I have better understanding and deeper insight than all my teachers [because of Your word],
For Your testimonies are my meditation. [2 Tim 3:15]
I understand more than the aged [who have not observed Your precepts],
Because I have observed and kept Your precepts.
I have restrained my feet from every evil way,
That I may keep Your word. [Prov 1:15]
I have not turned aside from Your ordinances,
For You Yourself have taught me.
How sweet are Your words to my taste,
Sweeter than honey to my mouth! [Ps 19:10; Prov 8:11]
From Your precepts I get understanding;
Therefore I hate every false way.
¶Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path. [Prov 6:23]
I have sworn [an oath] and have confirmed it,
That I will keep Your righteous ordinances. [Neh 10:29]
I am greatly afflicted;
Renew and revive me [giving me life], O LORD, according to Your word.
Accept and take pleasure in the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD,
And teach me Your ordinances. [Hos 14:2; Heb 13:15]
My life is continually in my hand,
Yet I do not forget Your law.
The wicked have laid a snare for me,
Yet I do not wander from Your precepts.
I have taken Your testimonies as a heritage forever,
For they are the joy of my heart. [Deut 33:4]
I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes
Forever, even to the end.
¶I hate those who are double-minded,
But I love and treasure Your law.
You are my hiding place and my shield;
I wait for Your word. [Ps 32:7; 91:1]
Leave me, you evildoers,
That I may keep the commandments of my God [honoring and obeying them]. [Ps 6:8; 139:19; Matt 7:23]
Uphold me according to Your word [of promise], so that I may live;
And do not let me be ashamed of my hope [in Your great goodness]. [Ps 25:2; Rom 5:5; 9:33; 10:11]
Uphold me that I may be safe,
That I may have regard for Your statutes continually.
You have turned Your back on all those who wander from Your statutes,
For their deceitfulness is useless.
You have removed all the wicked of the earth like dross [for they have no value];
Therefore I love Your testimonies.
My flesh trembles in [reverent] fear of You,
And I am afraid and in awe of Your judgments.
¶I have done justice and righteousness;
Do not leave me to those who oppress me.
Be the guarantee for Your servant for good [as Judah was the guarantee for Benjamin];
Do not let the arrogant oppress me. [Gen 43:9]
My eyes fail [with longing, watching] for [the fulfillment of] Your salvation,
And for [the fulfillment of] Your righteous word.
Deal with Your servant according to Your [gracious] lovingkindness,
And teach me Your statutes.
I am Your servant; give me understanding [the ability to learn and a teachable heart]
That I may know Your testimonies.
It is time for the LORD to act;
They have broken Your law.
Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold,
Yes, more than refined gold.
Therefore I esteem as right all Your precepts concerning everything;
I hate every false way.
¶Your testimonies are wonderful;
Therefore my soul keeps them.
The unfolding of Your [glorious] words give light;
Their unfolding gives understanding to the simple (childlike).
I opened my mouth and panted [with anticipation],
Because I longed for Your commandments.
Turn to me and be gracious to me and show me favor,
As is Your way to those who love Your name.
Establish my footsteps in [the way of] Your word;
Do not let any human weakness have power over me [causing me to be separated from You].
Redeem me from the oppression of man;
That I may keep Your precepts. [Luke 1:74]
Make Your face shine [with pleasure] upon Your servant,
And teach me Your statutes. [Ps 4:6]
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