Proclaiming the Law

Psalm 119:1-176

¹ Those whose way is blameless who walk in the LORD’s Instruction—are truly happy! ² Those who guard God’s laws are truly happy! They seek God with all their hearts. ³ They don’t even do anything wrong! They walk in God’s ways. ⁴ God, you have ordered that your decrees should be kept most carefully. ⁵ How I wish my ways were strong when it comes to keeping your statutes! ⁶ Then I wouldn’t be ashamed when I examine all your commandments. ⁷ I will give thanks to you with a heart that does right as I learn your righteous rules. ⁸ I will keep your statutes. Please don’t leave me all alone! ⁹ How can young people keep their paths pure? By guarding them according to what you’ve said. ¹⁰ I have sought you with all my heart. Don’t let me stray from any of your commandments! ¹¹ I keep your word close, in my heart, so that I won’t sin against you. ¹² You, LORD, are to be blessed! Teach me your statutes. ¹³ I will declare out loud all the rules you have spoken. ¹⁴ I rejoice in the content of your laws as if I were rejoicing over great wealth. ¹⁵ I will think about your precepts and examine all your paths. ¹⁶ I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget what you have said. ¹⁷ Be good to your servant so I can go on living and keeping your word. ¹⁸ Open my eyes so I can examine the wonders of your Instruction! ¹⁹ I’m an immigrant in the land. Don’t hide your commandments from me! ²⁰ I’m worn out by longing every minute for your rules! ²¹ You rebuke the arrogant, accursed people who stray from your commandments. ²² Take all their insults and contempt away from me because I’ve kept your laws! ²³ Even if rulers gather and scheme against me, your servant will contemplate your statutes! ²⁴ Yes, your laws are my joy they are my most trusted advisors! ²⁵ My life is stuck in the dirt. Now make me live again according to your promise! ²⁶ I confessed my ways and you answered me. Now teach me your statutes! ²⁷ Help me understand what your precepts are about so I can contemplate your wondrous works! ²⁸ My spirit sags because of grief. Now raise me up according to your promise! ²⁹ Remove all false ways from me; show mercy to me by means of your Instruction. ³⁰ I’ve chosen the way of faithfulness; I’m set on your rules. ³¹ I’m holding tight to your laws, LORD. Please don’t let me be put to shame. ³² I run the same path as your commandments because you give my heart insight. ³³ LORD, teach me what your statutes are about, and I will guard every part of them. ³⁴ Help me understand so I can guard your Instruction and keep it with all my heart. ³⁵ Lead me on the trail of your commandments because that is what I want. ³⁶ Turn my heart to your laws, not to greedy gain. ³⁷ Turn my eyes away from looking at worthless things. Make me live by your way. ³⁸ Confirm your promise to your servant the promise that is for all those who honor you. ³⁹ Remove the insults that I dread because your rules are good. ⁴⁰ Look how I desire your precepts! Make me live by your righteousness. ⁴¹ LORD, let your faithful love come to me let your salvation come to me according to your promise ⁴² so I can have a response for those who mock me because I have trusted in your word! ⁴³ Please don’t take your true word out of my mouth, because I have waited for your rules. ⁴⁴ I will always keep your Instruction, always and forever! ⁴⁵ I will walk around in wide-open spaces, because I have pursued your precepts. ⁴⁶ I will talk about your laws before rulers with no shame whatsoever. ⁴⁷ I will rejoice in your commandments because I love them. ⁴⁸ I will lift up my hands to your commandments because I love them, and I will contemplate all your statutes. ⁴⁹ Remember your promise to your servant, for which you made me wait. ⁵⁰ My comfort during my suffering is this: your word gives me new life. ⁵¹ The arrogant make fun of me to no end, but I haven’t deviated from your Instruction. ⁵² When I remember your ancient rules, I’m comforted, LORD. ⁵³ But I’m seized with anger because of the wicked because of those who abandon your Instruction. ⁵⁴ Your statutes have been my songs of praise wherever I lived as an immigrant. ⁵⁵ LORD, I remember your name at nighttime, and I keep your Instruction. ⁵⁶ This has been my practice because I guard your precepts. ⁵⁷ The LORD is my possession. I promise to do what you have said. ⁵⁸ I’ve sought your favor with all my heart; have mercy on me according to your word. ⁵⁹ I’ve considered my ways and turned my feet back to your laws. ⁶⁰ I hurry to keep your commandments I never put it off! ⁶¹ Though the wicked have surrounded me with their ropes, I haven’t forgotten your Instruction. ⁶² I get up in the middle of the night to give thanks to you because of your righteous rules. ⁶³ I’m a friend to everyone who honors you and to all who keep your precepts. ⁶⁴ LORD, the world is full of your faithful love! Teach me your statutes! ⁶⁵ You have treated your servant well, LORD, according to your promise. ⁶⁶ Teach me knowledge and good judgment because I’ve put my trust in your commandments. ⁶⁷ Before I suffered, I took the wrong way, but now I do what you say. ⁶⁸ You are good and you do good. Teach me your statutes! ⁶⁹ The arrogant cover me with their lies, but I guard your precepts with all my heart. ⁷⁰ Their hearts are unfeeling, like blubber, but I rejoice in your Instruction. ⁷¹ My suffering was good for me, because through it I learned your statutes. ⁷² The Instruction you’ve given to me is better than thousands of pieces of gold and silver! ⁷³ Your hands have made me and set me in place. Help me understand so I can learn your commandments. ⁷⁴ Then those who honor you will see me and be glad because I have waited for your promise. ⁷⁵ LORD, I know that your rules are right and that you rightly made me suffer. ⁷⁶ Please let your faithful love comfort me, according to what you’ve said to your servant. ⁷⁷ Let your compassion come to me so I can live again, because your Instruction is my joy! ⁷⁸ But let the arrogant be ashamed because they oppressed me with lies meanwhile, I will be contemplating your precepts! ⁷⁹ Let the people who honor you come back to me; let those who know your precepts return to me. ⁸⁰ Let my heart be blameless in your statutes so that I am not put to shame. ⁸¹ My whole being yearns for your saving help! I wait for your promise. ⁸² My eyes are worn out looking for your word. “When will you comfort me?” I ask, ⁸³ because I’ve become like a bottle dried up by smoke, though I haven’t forgotten your statutes. ⁸⁴ How much more time does your servant have? When will you bring my oppressors to justice? ⁸⁵ The arrogant have dug pits for me those people who act against your Instruction. ⁸⁶ All your commandments are true, but people harass me for no reason. Help me! ⁸⁷ They’ve almost wiped me off the face of the earth! Meanwhile, I haven’t abandoned your precepts! ⁸⁸ Make me live again according to your faithful love so I can keep the law you’ve given! ⁸⁹ Your word, LORD, stands firm in heaven forever! ⁹⁰ Your faithfulness extends from one generation to the next! You set the earth firmly in place, and it is still there. ⁹¹ Your rules endure to this day because everything serves you. ⁹² If your Instruction hadn’t been my delight, I would have died because of my suffering. ⁹³ I will never forget your precepts because through them you gave me life again. ⁹⁴ I’m yours—save me because I’ve pursued your precepts! ⁹⁵ The wicked wait for me, wanting to kill me, but I’m studying your laws. ⁹⁶ I’ve seen that everything, no matter how perfect, has a limit, but your commandment is boundless. ⁹⁷ I love your Instruction! I think about it constantly. ⁹⁸ Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies because it is always with me. ⁹⁹ I have greater insight than all my teachers because I contemplate your laws. ¹⁰⁰ I have more understanding than the elders because I guard your precepts. ¹⁰¹ I haven’t set my feet on any evil path so I can make sure to keep your word. ¹⁰² I haven’t deviated from any of your rules because you are the one who has taught me. ¹⁰³ Your word is so pleasing to my taste buds it’s sweeter than honey in my mouth! ¹⁰⁴ I’m studying your precepts that’s why I hate every false path. ¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp before my feet and a light for my journey. ¹⁰⁶ I have sworn, and I fully mean it: I will keep your righteous rules. ¹⁰⁷ I have been suffering so much LORD, make me live again according to your promise. ¹⁰⁸ Please, LORD, accept my spontaneous gifts of praise. Teach me your rules! ¹⁰⁹ Though my life is constantly in danger, I won’t forget your Instruction. ¹¹⁰ Though the wicked have set a trap for me, I won’t stray from your precepts. ¹¹¹ Your laws are my possession forever because they are my heart’s joy. ¹¹² I have decided to keep your statutes forever, every last one. ¹¹³ I hate fickle people, but I love your Instruction. ¹¹⁴ You are my shelter and my shield I wait for your promise. ¹¹⁵ Get away from me, you evildoers; I want to guard my God’s commandments! ¹¹⁶ Sustain me according to your word so I can live! Don’t let me be put to shame because of hope. ¹¹⁷ Support me so I can be saved and so I can focus constantly on your statutes. ¹¹⁸ You discard everyone who strays from your statutes because they are dishonest and false. ¹¹⁹ You dispose of all the wicked people on earth like waste that’s why I love your laws. ¹²⁰ My body shudders because I fear you; I’m in awe of your rules. ¹²¹ I’ve done what is just and right. Don’t just hand me over to my oppressors. ¹²² Guarantee good things for your servant. Please don’t let the arrogant oppress me. ¹²³ My eyes are worn out looking for your saving help looking for your word that will set things right. ¹²⁴ Act toward your servant according to your faithful love. Teach me your statutes! ¹²⁵ I’m your servant! Help me understand so I can know your laws. ¹²⁶ It is time for the LORD to do something! Your Instruction has been broken. ¹²⁷ But I love your commandments more than gold, even more than pure gold. ¹²⁸ That’s why I walk straight by every single one of your precepts. That’s why I hate every false path. ¹²⁹ Your laws are wonderful! That’s why I guard them. ¹³⁰ Access to your words gives light, giving simple folk understanding. ¹³¹ I open my mouth up wide, panting, because I long for your commandments. ¹³² Come back to me and have mercy on me; that’s only right for those who love your name. ¹³³ Keep my steps steady by your word; don’t let any sin rule me. ¹³⁴ Redeem me from the people who oppress me so I can keep your precepts. ¹³⁵ Shine your face on your servant, and teach me your statutes. ¹³⁶ Rivers of tears stream from my eyes because your Instruction isn’t being kept. ¹³⁷ LORD, you are righteous, and your rules are right. ¹³⁸ The laws you commanded are righteous, completely trustworthy. ¹³⁹ Anger consumes me because my enemies have forgotten what you’ve said. ¹⁴⁰ Your word has been tried and tested; your servant loves your word! ¹⁴¹ I’m insignificant and unpopular, but I don’t forget your precepts. ¹⁴² Your righteousness lasts forever! Your Instruction is true! ¹⁴³ Stress and strain have caught up with me, but your commandments are my joy! ¹⁴⁴ Your laws are righteous forever. Help me understand so I can live! ¹⁴⁵ I cry out with all my heart: “LORD, answer me so I can guard your statutes!” ¹⁴⁶ I cry out to you, “Save me so I can keep your laws!” ¹⁴⁷ I meet the predawn light and cry for help. I wait for your promise. ¹⁴⁸ My eyes encounter each hour of the night as I think about your word. ¹⁴⁹ Listen to my voice, according to your faithful love. LORD, make me live again, according to your justice. ¹⁵⁰ The people who love to plot wicked schemes are nearby, but they are so far from your Instruction! ¹⁵¹ But you, LORD, are nearby too, and all your commandments are true. ¹⁵² Long ago I learned from your laws that you had established them forever. ¹⁵³ Look at my suffering and deliver me because I haven’t forgotten your Instruction. ¹⁵⁴ Argue my case and redeem me. Make me live again by your word. ¹⁵⁵ Salvation is far from the wicked because they haven’t pursued your statutes. ¹⁵⁶ You have so much compassion, LORD make me live again, according to your rules. ¹⁵⁷ My oppressors and enemies are many, but I haven’t turned away from your laws. ¹⁵⁸ I look on the faithless, and I am disgusted because they haven’t kept your word. ¹⁵⁹ Look at how much I love your precepts. Make me live again, LORD, according to your faithful love! ¹⁶⁰ The first thing to know about your word is that it is true and that all your righteous rules last forever. ¹⁶¹ Rulers oppress me without cause, but my heart honors what you’ve said. ¹⁶² I’m overjoyed at your word, like someone who finds great treasure. ¹⁶³ I hate, I absolutely despise, what is false, but I’m in love with your Instruction. ¹⁶⁴ I praise you seven times a day for your righteous rules. ¹⁶⁵ The people who love your Instruction enjoy peace—and lots of it. There’s no stumbling for them! ¹⁶⁶ LORD, I wait for your saving help. I do what you’ve commanded. ¹⁶⁷ I keep your laws; I love them so much! ¹⁶⁸ I keep your precepts and your laws because all my ways are seen by you. ¹⁶⁹ Let my cry reach you, LORD; help me understand according to what you’ve said. ¹⁷⁰ Let my request for grace come before you; deliver me according to your promise! ¹⁷¹ Let my lips overflow with praise because you’ve taught me your statutes. ¹⁷² Let my tongue declare your word, because all your commandments are righteous. ¹⁷³ Let your power help me because I have chosen your precepts. ¹⁷⁴ LORD, I long for your saving help! Your Instruction is my joy! ¹⁷⁵ Let me live again so I can praise you! Let your rules help me! ¹⁷⁶ I’ve wandered off like a sheep, lost. Find your servant because I haven’t forgotten your commandments!