Bible Gateway passage: Psalm 119 - The Voice (2024)

Psalm 119^[a]

Aleph

¹Happy are the people who walk with integrity,
who live according to the teachings of the Eternal.
²Happy are the people who keep His decrees,
who pursue Him wholeheartedly.
³These are people who do nothing wrong;
they do what it takes to follow His ways.
⁴You have given us Your precepts
so we would be careful about keeping them.
⁵Oh, that every part of my life would remain in line
with what You require!
⁶Then I would feel no shame
when I fix my eyes upon Your commands.
⁷With a pure heart, I will give thanks to You
when I hear about Your just and fair rulings.
⁸I will live within Your limits;
do not abandon me completely!

Beth

⁹How can a young person remain pure?
Only by living according to Your word.
¹⁰I have pursued You with my whole heart;
do not let me stray from Your commands.
¹¹Deep within me I have hidden Your word
so that I will never sin against You.
¹²You are blessed, O Eternal One;
instruct me in what You require.
¹³My lips have told how
You have delivered all Your wise rulings.
¹⁴I have celebrated Your testimonies
as though rejoicing over an immeasurable fortune.
¹⁵I will fix my mind on Your instructions
and my eyes on Your path.
¹⁶I will find joy in Your ordinances;
I will remember Your word forever.

Gimel

¹⁷Treat Your servant well, Lord,
so that I may live and remain faithful to Your word.
¹⁸Let me see clearly so that I may take in
the amazing things coming from Your law.
¹⁹I am a sojourner in the world;
do not keep Your commands hidden from me.
²⁰My soul aches from craving
Your wise rulings day and night.
²¹You rebuke those who are proud,
and those who stray from Your commands are cursed.
²²Free me from the contempt and disdain of others
because I keep Your decrees.
²³Even though powerful princes conspire against me,
I fix my mind on what You require.
²⁴Yes, Your testimonies are my joy;
they are like the friends I seek for counsel.

Daleth

²⁵My very being clings to the dust;
preserve my life, in keeping with Your word.
²⁶I have admitted my ways are wrong, and You responded;
now help me learn what You require.
²⁷Compel me to grasp the way of Your statutes
so I will fix my mind on Your wonderful works.
²⁸My soul weeps, and trouble weighs me down;
give me strength so I can stand according to Your word.
²⁹Eliminate faithlessness You find in my step,
be gracious, and give me Your guidance.
³⁰I have decided to take the path of faith;
I have focused my eyes on Your regulations.
³¹I cling to Your decrees; O Eternal One,
do not let me face disgrace!
³²I will chase after Your commandments
because You will expand my understanding.

He

³³O Eternal One, show me how to live according to Your statutes,
and I will keep them always.
³⁴Grant me understanding so that I can keep Your law
and keep it wholeheartedly.
³⁵Guide me to walk in the way You commanded
because I take joy in it.
³⁶Turn my head and my heart to Your decrees
and not to sinful gain.
³⁷Keep my eyes from gazing upon worthless things,
and give me true life according to Your plans.
³⁸Verify Your word to Your servant,
which will lead me to worship You.
³⁹Take away the scorn that I dread
because Your actions are just and good.
⁴⁰Look and see—I long for Your guidance;
restore me in Your righteousness.

Vav

⁴¹May Your unfailing love find me, O Eternal One.
Keep Your promise, and save me;
⁴²When that happens, I will have a good response for anyone who taunts me
because I have faith in Your word.
⁴³Do not take Your message of truth from my mouth
because I wait and rely on Your just decisions.
⁴⁴Therefore I will follow Your teachings,
forever and ever.
⁴⁵And I will live a life of freedom
because I pursue Your precepts.
⁴⁶I will even testify of Your decrees before royalty
and will not be humiliated.
⁴⁷I will find my joy in Your commands,
which I love,
⁴⁸And I will raise my hands to Your commands, which I love,
and I will fix my mind on what You require.

Zayin

⁴⁹Do not forget Your promise to Your servant;
through it You have given me hope.
⁵⁰This brings me solace in the midst of my troubles:
that Your word has revived me.
⁵¹Those who are proud cruelly ridicule me,
but I keep to the steady path of Your teachings.
⁵²I have considered Your ancient rulings, O Eternal One,
and their memory brings me comfort.
⁵³Burning anger rises in me, has me in its grip
because the unrighteous abandon Your teachings.
⁵⁴As I journey through this life,
Your statutes are my song.
⁵⁵O Eternal One, through the night, I stop to recall Your name.
That’s how I live according to Your teachings.
⁵⁶This has become my practice:
to keep Your ordinances.

Heth

⁵⁷The Eternal One is mine. He’s all I need.
I have promised to keep Your words.
⁵⁸I sought Your blessing wholeheartedly.
Show grace to me as You promised.
⁵⁹I carefully charted out my paths
to align my steps with Your decrees.
⁶⁰I did not procrastinate and hurried
to follow Your commands.
⁶¹The wicked have entangled me in their nets,
but I have not forgotten Your teaching.
⁶²In the middle of the night, I wake to thank You
because Your rulings are just and right.
⁶³I am a friend of anyone who fears You
and of those who follow Your precepts.
⁶⁴The earth is filled with Your unfailing love, O Eternal One;
teach me to observe what You require.

Teth

⁶⁵You have handled Your servant well,
O Eternal One, as You promised.
⁶⁶Help me to learn good judgment and knowledge
because I believe Your commandments.
⁶⁷Before I had trouble, I strayed from the true path, the path of righteousness,
but now I live according to Your word.
⁶⁸You are truly good, and Your acts are too;
teach me what You require.
⁶⁹The proud smear me with their lies;
I will keep Your instructions wholeheartedly.
⁷⁰Their hearts are dull and callous;
I am delighted to study Your teaching.
⁷¹It is a good thing that I was humbled
because it helped me learn Your limits.
⁷²Your teachings are more valuable to me
than a fortune in gold and silver.

Yodh

⁷³Your strong hands formed me and established me;
give me understanding so I can learn Your commands.
⁷⁴Let those who fear You see me and rejoice
because I hope in Your word.
⁷⁵I know, O Eternal One, Your rulings are right,
and when You humbled me, You did so out of faithfulness.
⁷⁶Now let Your unfailing love be my comfort,
in keeping with Your promise to Your servant.
⁷⁷Shower me with Your compassion so that I may live
because I find great joy in Your law.
⁷⁸Let the proud be humiliated,
for they sabotage me with a lie;
still I will fix my mind on Your directives.
⁷⁹Let those who fear You and know Your testimonies
come back and find me.
⁸⁰Let my heart be whole, my record according to what You require
so that I will not be humiliated.

Kaph

⁸¹My soul is exhausted awaiting Your rescue
yet I keep hoping in Your word.
⁸²My eyes are strained as I look for what You promised,
saying, “When will You come to comfort me?”
⁸³Even though I have shriveled up like a wineskin left in the smoke,
I still remember what You require.
⁸⁴How long must Your servant wait?
When will You carry out justice and punish those who persecute me?
⁸⁵Those proud souls do not live according to Your commands,
and they have dug pits to entrap me.
⁸⁶Indeed, all Your commands are trustworthy,
but my enemies have harassed me with their lies; help me!
⁸⁷They have nearly ended my life on earth,
but as for me, I never abandoned Your statutes.
⁸⁸According to Your unfailing love, spare my life
so that I can live according to the decrees of Your mouth.

Lamedh

⁸⁹Forever, O Eternal One,
Your word stands in heaven, firm and resolute.
⁹⁰Your faithfulness endures to every generation;
You founded the earth, and it remains.
⁹¹Everything remains today in keeping with Your laws,
for all things exist to serve You.
⁹²If I had not found joy in Your guidance,
then I would have died from my misery.
⁹³I will never forget Your precepts,
for through them You have given me life.
⁹⁴I belong to You, Lord; save me
because I have taken care to live by Your principles.
⁹⁵The wicked lie in wait, anxious to kill me;
I will set my mind on Your statutes.
⁹⁶I have seen the limit of all perfection,
but Your commands are all-encompassing.

Mem

⁹⁷Oh, how I love Your law!
I fix my mind on it all day long.
⁹⁸Your commands make me wiser than my enemies
because they are always with me.
⁹⁹I have more discernment than all my teachers
because I study and meditate on Your testimonies.
¹⁰⁰I comprehend more than those who are my elders
because I have kept Your precepts.
¹⁰¹I have kept my feet from walking the paths of evil
so that I may live according to Your word.
¹⁰²I have not neglected Your lessons,
for You, God, have been my teacher.
¹⁰³Your words are sweet to my taste!
Yes, they are sweeter than honey in my mouth!
¹⁰⁴I gain understanding from Your instructions;
that’s why I hate every deceitful path.

Nun

¹⁰⁵Your word is a lamp for my steps;
it lights the path before me.
¹⁰⁶I have taken an oath and confirmed it:
I pledge to do what You say is right and just.
¹⁰⁷I have suffered terribly, O Eternal One;
give me the life You promised.
¹⁰⁸Please accept the words I offer willingly, O Eternal One,
and instruct me in the ways of Your justice.
¹⁰⁹My soul is continually in danger,
but I do not forget Your teachings.
¹¹⁰The wicked have laid a trap for me,
but I have not drifted away from Your instructions.
¹¹¹Your decrees are forever mine,
for they bring joy to my life.
¹¹²I have committed myself to do what You require
forever and ever, to the very end.

Samekh

¹¹³I despise those who waver back and forth,
but I love Your teachings.
¹¹⁴You are my hiding place and my shield of protection;
I hope in Your word.
¹¹⁵Away from me, reprobates!
I am committed to observing the commands of my God.
¹¹⁶Support me in keeping with Your promise, O God, so that I may live;
do not let my hope turn into shame.
¹¹⁷Help me so that I will be safe,
and I will respect Your laws continually.
¹¹⁸You have rejected all those who stray from Your commands
because their fraudulent lifestyles are cunning and empty.
¹¹⁹You have discarded all the wicked from the land, skimmed them off like dross;
that’s why I love Your testimonies.
¹²⁰My body shakes because of my fear of You,
and I am in awe of Your wise rulings.

Ayin

¹²¹I have lived with fairness and integrity;
do not leave me at the mercy of my tormenters.
¹²²Provide security and protection for Your servant’s welfare;
do not let the proud oppress me.
¹²³My eyes are strained as I look for Your salvation
and for Your righteous promise to be fulfilled.
¹²⁴Treat Your servant in a manner that shows Your unfailing love,
and help me to learn Your decrees.
¹²⁵I am Your servant; impart to me understanding
so that I may fully grasp the depths of Your statutes.
¹²⁶It is time for the Eternal to step in and do something
because some have broken Your law.
¹²⁷Indeed, I love Your commands
more than gold, even more than the highest quality gold.
¹²⁸It’s true that I regard all Your guidance to be correct and good;
I despise every deceptive path.

Pe

¹²⁹Your decrees inspire wonder;
because of that, my soul desires to keep them.
¹³⁰When Your words are unveiled, light shines forth;
they bring understanding to the simple.
¹³¹My desire for Your commands
left me waiting, open-mouthed and panting.
¹³²Acknowledge me and show me Your grace
as is Your habit toward all those who love Your name.
¹³³Guide my steps in the ways of Your word,
and do not let any sin control me.
¹³⁴Rescue me from the torment of my human oppressors
so that I may live according Your decrees.
¹³⁵Let Your face shine upon Your servant,
and help me to learn what You require.
¹³⁶My eyes shed rivers of tears
whenever people fail to keep Your teaching.

Tsadhe

¹³⁷You are good and just, O Eternal One,
and Your rulings are right.
¹³⁸You have set out Your decrees in justice,
and they can be trusted.
¹³⁹I am overwhelmed by my passion
because my enemies have forgotten Your words.
¹⁴⁰Your promise is tested and true;
that’s why Your servant loves it.
¹⁴¹I may be insignificant to some and hated by others,
but at least I do not forget Your precepts.
¹⁴²Your righteousness will last forever,
and Your law is truth.
¹⁴³Trouble and distress have overtaken me,
but Your commandments bring me great joy.
¹⁴⁴Your decrees are right and true forever;
grant me understanding so that I may live.

Qoph

¹⁴⁵I called to You wholeheartedly: “Answer me, O Eternal One!”
I will respect, I will follow Your statutes.
¹⁴⁶I cried out to You: “Rescue me,
and I will live according to Your decrees.”
¹⁴⁷I wake before the dawn and call for help;
I hope in Your words.
¹⁴⁸My eyes do not shut before each watch of the night
so that I can fix my mind on Your word.
¹⁴⁹Listen to my voice, in keeping with Your unfailing love.
Preserve my life, O Eternal One, according to Your just rulings.
¹⁵⁰Those who wish me harm are moving closer to me;
they are far away from Your teaching.
¹⁵¹But You are near me, O Eternal One,
and all You have commanded is true.
¹⁵²I learned a long time ago
that You established Your decrees to last forever.

Resh

¹⁵³Give attention to my misery and rescue me
because I have not forgotten Your teaching.
¹⁵⁴Fight for me, and set me free;
give me life in keeping with Your promise.
¹⁵⁵Salvation is far from the wicked
because they do not live in pursuit of Your precepts.
¹⁵⁶Your mercies are tender and great, O Eternal One;
grant me life in keeping with Your ordinances.
¹⁵⁷I have many oppressors and foes;
still I do not swerve from Your decrees.
¹⁵⁸I observe the faithless and detest them
because they turn away from Your word.
¹⁵⁹Reflect, O God, on how I love Your precepts;
give me life, O Eternal One, in keeping with Your unfailing love.
¹⁶⁰The entirety of Your word is truth,
and every one of Your right rulings will surely last forever.

Shin

¹⁶¹Princes persecute me without reason,
but my heart remains true and is awed by Your words.
¹⁶²I celebrate because of Your promise,
like someone who discovers great treasure.
¹⁶³I despise and abhor lies,
but I love Your law.
¹⁶⁴Seven times every day I praise You
because of Your right rulings.
¹⁶⁵Those who love Your law have an abundance of peace,
and nothing along their paths can cause them to stumble.
¹⁶⁶I wait for Your salvation, O Eternal One,
and I live out Your commands.
¹⁶⁷My soul is faithful to Your decrees,
and my love for them is extraordinary.
¹⁶⁸I live according to Your precepts and decrees
because everything I do is right before Your eyes.

Tav

¹⁶⁹Let my cry come before You, O Eternal One.
Grant me understanding in keeping with Your word.
¹⁷⁰Let my plea come before You;
liberate me in keeping with Your word.
¹⁷¹Praise will pour from my lips
because You help me learn what You require.
¹⁷²My tongue will sing of Your word
because every command of Yours is right.
¹⁷³Let Your hand be poised to help me
because I have chosen to live by Your precepts.
¹⁷⁴I long for Your salvation, O Eternal One.
Meanwhile, Your teaching brings me great joy.
¹⁷⁵Let my soul live on so that I may praise You,
and let Your precepts guide me.
¹⁷⁶I have wandered down the wrong path like a lost sheep; come find me, Your servant,
because I do not forget Your commands.