Good News Translation (GNT)

God’s Complete Knowledge and Care

1 Lord, you have examined me and you know me.

2 You know everything I do;

from far away you understand all my thoughts.

3 You see me, whether I am working or resting;

you know all my actions.

4 Even before I speak,

you already know what I will say.

5 You are all around me on every side;

you protect me with your power.

6 Your knowledge of me is too deep;

it is beyond my understanding.

7 Where could I go to escape from you?

Where could I get away from your presence?

8 If I went up to heaven, you would be there;

if I lay down in the world of the dead, you would be there.

9 If I flew away beyond the east

or lived in the farthest place in the west,

10 you would be there to lead me,

you would be there to help me.

11 I could ask the darkness to hide me

or the light around me to turn into night,

12 but even darkness is not dark for you,

and the night is as bright as the day.

Darkness and light are the same to you.

13 You created every part of me;

you put me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you because you are to be feared;

all you do is strange and wonderful.

I know it with all my heart.

15 When my bones were being formed,

carefully put together in my mother’s womb,

when I was growing there in secret,

you knew that I was there—

16 you saw me before I was born.

The days allotted to me

had all been recorded in your book,

before any of them ever began.

17 O God, how difficult I find your thoughts;

how many of them there are!

18 If I counted them, they would be more than the grains of sand.

When I awake, I am still with you.

19 O God, how I wish you would kill the wicked!

How I wish violent people would leave me alone!

20 They say wicked things about you;

they speak evil things against your name.

21 O Lord, how I hate those who hate you!

How I despise those who rebel against you!

22 I hate them with a total hatred;

I regard them as my enemies.

23 Examine me, O God, and know my mind;

test me, and discover my thoughts.

24 Find out if there is any evil in me

and guide me in the everlasting way.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/139-306801a9ce5259f53ed58692134f77b6.mp3?version_id=68—

A Prayer for Protection

1 Save me, Lord, from evildoers;

keep me safe from violent people.

2 They are always plotting evil,

always stirring up quarrels.

3 Their tongues are like deadly snakes;

their words are like a cobra’s poison.

4 Protect me, Lord, from the power of the wicked;

keep me safe from violent people

who plot my downfall.

5 The proud have set a trap for me;

they have laid their snares,

and along the path they have set traps to catch me.

6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”

Hear my cry for help, Lord!

7 My Sovereign Lord, my strong defender,

you have protected me in battle.

8 Lord, don’t give the wicked what they want;

don’t let their plots succeed.

9 Don’t let my enemies be victorious;

make their threats against me fall back on them.

10 May red-hot coals fall on them;

may they be thrown into a pit and never get out.

11 May those who accuse others falsely not succeed;

may evil overtake violent people and destroy them.

12 Lord, I know that you defend the cause of the poor

and the rights of the needy.

13 The righteous will praise you indeed;

they will live in your presence.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/140-f6b7b437def48c15583f270289f47b7d.mp3?version_id=68—

An Evening Prayer

1 I call to you, Lord; help me now!

Listen to me when I call to you.

2 Receive my prayer as incense,

my uplifted hands as an evening sacrifice.

3 Lord, place a guard at my mouth,

a sentry at the door of my lips.

4 Keep me from wanting to do wrong

and from joining evil people in their wickedness.

May I never take part in their feasts.

5 Good people may punish me and rebuke me in kindness,

but I will never accept honor from evil people,

because I am always praying against their evil deeds.

6 When their rulers are thrown down from rocky cliffs,

the people will admit that my words were true.

7 Like wood that is split and chopped into bits,

so their bones are scattered at the edge of the grave.

8 But I keep trusting in you, my Sovereign Lord.

I seek your protection;

don’t let me die!

9 Protect me from the traps they have set for me,

from the snares of those evildoers.

10 May the wicked fall into their own traps

while I go by unharmed.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/141-bc0db0aac17665e916f58d166ef17c0b.mp3?version_id=68—

A Prayer for Help

1 I call to the Lord for help;

I plead with him.

2 I bring him all my complaints;

I tell him all my troubles.

3 When I am ready to give up,

he knows what I should do.

In the path where I walk,

my enemies have hidden a trap for me.

4 When I look beside me,

I see that there is no one to help me,

no one to protect me.

No one cares for me.

5 Lord, I cry to you for help;

you, Lord, are my protector;

you are all I want in this life.

6 Listen to my cry for help,

for I am sunk in despair.

Save me from my enemies;

they are too strong for me.

7 Set me free from my distress;

then in the assembly of your people I will praise you

because of your goodness to me.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/142-8b2c1ba81a13b9a4ea822387d75c81cd.mp3?version_id=68—

A Prayer for Help

1 Lord, hear my prayer!

In your righteousness listen to my plea;

answer me in your faithfulness!

2 Don’t put me, your servant, on trial;

no one is innocent in your sight.

3 My enemies have hunted me down

and completely defeated me.

They have put me in a dark prison,

and I am like those who died long ago.

4 So I am ready to give up;

I am in deep despair.

5 I remember the days gone by;

I think about all that you have done,

I bring to mind all your deeds.

6 I lift up my hands to you in prayer;

like dry ground my soul is thirsty for you.

7 Answer me now, Lord!

I have lost all hope.

Don’t hide yourself from me,

or I will be among those who go down to the world of the dead.

8 Remind me each morning of your constant love,

for I put my trust in you.

My prayers go up to you;

show me the way I should go.

9 I go to you for protection, Lord;

rescue me from my enemies.

10 You are my God;

teach me to do your will.

Be good to me, and guide me on a safe path.

11 Rescue me, Lord, as you have promised;

in your goodness save me from my troubles!

12 Because of your love for me, kill my enemies

and destroy all my oppressors,

for I am your servant.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/143-9b89b8f09edf097acab8abb823ea3b09.mp3?version_id=68—

A King Thanks God for Victory

1 Praise the Lord, my protector!

He trains me for battle

and prepares me for war.

2 He is my protector and defender,

my shelter and savior,

in whom I trust for safety.

He subdues the nations under me.

3 Lord, what are mortals, that you notice them;

mere mortals, that you pay attention to us?

4 We are like a puff of wind;

our days are like a passing shadow.

5 O Lord, tear the sky open and come down;

touch the mountains, and they will pour out smoke.

6 Send flashes of lightning and scatter your enemies;

shoot your arrows and send them running.

7 Reach down from above,

pull me out of the deep water, and rescue me;

save me from the power of foreigners,

8 who never tell the truth

and lie even under oath.

9 I will sing you a new song, O God;

I will play the harp and sing to you.

10 You give victory to kings

and rescue your servant David.

11 Save me from my cruel enemies;

rescue me from the power of foreigners,

who never tell the truth

and lie even under oath.

12 May our sons in their youth

be like plants that grow up strong.

May our daughters be like stately columns

which adorn the corners of a palace.

13 May our barns be filled

with crops of every kind.

May the sheep in our fields

bear young by the tens of thousands.

14 May our cattle reproduce plentifully

without miscarriage or loss.

May there be no cries of distress in our streets.

15 Happy is the nation of whom this is true;

happy are the people whose God is the Lord!

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/144-5360910baaefd99636411908b10cd041.mp3?version_id=68—

A Hymn of Praise

1 I will proclaim your greatness, my God and king;

I will thank you forever and ever.

2 Every day I will thank you;

I will praise you forever and ever.

3 The Lord is great and is to be highly praised;

his greatness is beyond understanding.

4 What you have done will be praised from one generation to the next;

they will proclaim your mighty acts.

5 They will speak of your glory and majesty,

and I will meditate on your wonderful deeds.

6 People will speak of your mighty deeds,

and I will proclaim your greatness.

7 They will tell about all your goodness

and sing about your kindness.

8 The Lord is loving and merciful,

slow to become angry and full of constant love.

9 He is good to everyone

and has compassion on all he made.

10 All your creatures, Lord, will praise you,

and all your people will give you thanks.

11 They will speak of the glory of your royal power

and tell of your might,

12 so that everyone will know your mighty deeds

and the glorious majesty of your kingdom.

13 Your rule is eternal,

and you are king forever.

The Lord is faithful to his promises;

he is merciful in all his acts.

14 He helps those who are in trouble;

he lifts those who have fallen.

15 All living things look hopefully to you,

and you give them food when they need it.

16 You give them enough

and satisfy the needs of all.

17 The Lord is righteous in all he does,

merciful in all his acts.

18 He is near to those who call to him,

who call to him with sincerity.

19 He supplies the needs of those who honor him;

he hears their cries and saves them.

20 He protects everyone who loves him,

but he will destroy the wicked.

21 I will always praise the Lord;

let all his creatures praise his holy name forever.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/145-2862feade768efad68c24a5f867f8623.mp3?version_id=68—

In Praise of God the Savior

1 Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord, my soul!

2 I will praise him as long as I live;

I will sing to my God all my life.

3 Don’t put your trust in human leaders;

no human being can save you.

4 When they die, they return to the dust;

on that day all their plans come to an end.

5 Happy are those who have the God of Jacob to help them

and who depend on the Lord their God,

6 the Creator of heaven, earth, and sea,

and all that is in them.

He always keeps his promises;

7 he judges in favor of the oppressed

and gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets prisoners free

8 and gives sight to the blind.

He lifts those who have fallen;

he loves his righteous people.

9 He protects the strangers who live in our land;

he helps widows and orphans,

but takes the wicked to their ruin.

10 The Lord is king forever.

Your God, O Zion, will reign for all time.

Praise the Lord!

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/146-76bbf02eb65d8d9af2e386aff15ba8e6.mp3?version_id=68—

In Praise of God the Almighty

1 Praise the Lord!

It is good to sing praise to our God;

it is pleasant and right to praise him.

2 The Lord is restoring Jerusalem;

he is bringing back the exiles.

3 He heals the broken-hearted

and bandages their wounds.

4 He has decided the number of the stars

and calls each one by name.

5 Great and mighty is our Lord;

his wisdom cannot be measured.

6 He raises the humble,

but crushes the wicked to the ground.

7 Sing hymns of praise to the Lord;

play music on the harp to our God.

8 He spreads clouds over the sky;

he provides rain for the earth

and makes grass grow on the hills.

9 He gives animals their food

and feeds the young ravens when they call.

10 His pleasure is not in strong horses,

nor his delight in brave soldiers;

11 but he takes pleasure in those who honor him,

in those who trust in his constant love.

12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!

Praise your God, O Zion!

13 He keeps your gates strong;

he blesses your people.

14 He keeps your borders safe

and satisfies you with the finest wheat.

15 He gives a command to the earth,

and what he says is quickly done.

16 He spreads snow like a blanket

and scatters frost like dust.

17 He sends hail like gravel;

no one can endure the cold he sends!

18 Then he gives a command, and the ice melts;

he sends the wind, and the water flows.

19 He gives his message to his people,

his instructions and laws to Israel.

20 He has not done this for other nations;

they do not know his laws.

Praise the Lord!

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/147-6fe39d55677474ea77e482e3fb0cbd6e.mp3?version_id=68—

A Call for the Universe to Praise God

1 Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from heaven,

you that live in the heights above.

2 Praise him, all his angels,

all his heavenly armies.

3 Praise him, sun and moon;

praise him, shining stars.

4 Praise him, highest heavens,

and the waters above the sky.

5 Let them all praise the name of the Lord!

He commanded, and they were created;

6 by his command they were fixed in their places forever,

and they cannot disobey.

7 Praise the Lord from the earth,

sea monsters and all ocean depths;

8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds,

strong winds that obey his command.

9 Praise him, hills and mountains,

fruit trees and forests;

10 all animals, tame and wild,

reptiles and birds.

11 Praise him, kings and all peoples,

princes and all other rulers;

12 young women and young men,

old people and children too.

13 Let them all praise the name of the Lord!

His name is greater than all others;

his glory is above earth and heaven.

14 He made his nation strong,

so that all his people praise him—

the people of Israel, so dear to him.

Praise the Lord!

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/PSA/148-3ba5a74aac1fce917d00c332607ddb99.mp3?version_id=68—