What follows is a selection of psalms from the Old Testament Book of Psalms,
Read from the New King James Translation.
Use this recording as you will,
But our suggestion is to simply sit with it,
Head bowed,
In quiet contemplation.
Psalm 5,
A prayer for guidance.
Give ear to my words,
O Lord,
Consider my meditation.
Give heed to the voice of my cry,
My Ing and my God,
To you I will pray.
My voice you shall hear in the morning,
O Lord,
In the morning I will direct it to you,
And I will look up,
For you are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,
Nor shall evil dwell with you.
The boastful shall not stand in your sight.
You hate all workers of iniquity.
You shall destroy those who speak falsehood.
The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
But as for me,
I will come into your house in the multitude of your mercy.
In the fear of you,
I will worship towards your holy temple.
Lead me,
O Lord,
In your righteousness,
Because of my enemies.
Make your way straight before my face.
For there is no faithfulness in their mouth,
Their inward part is destruction,
Their throat is an open tomb,
They flatter with their tongue.
Pronounce them guilty,
O God,
Let them fall by their own counsels,
Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions,
For they have rebelled against you.
But let all those rejoice who put their trust in you.
Let them forever shout for joy,
Because you defend them.
Let those also who love your name be joyful in you,
For you,
O Lord,
Will bless the righteous.
With favour you will surround them,
Like a shield.
Now,
A moment of reflection.
Psalm 6,
A prayer of faith in times of distress.
O Lord,
Do not rebuke me in your anger,
Nor chasten me in your hot displeasure.
Have mercy on me,
O Lord,
For I am weak.
O Lord,
Heal me,
For my bones are troubled,
My soul also is greatly troubled.
But you,
O Lord,
How long?
Return,
O Lord,
Deliver me,
O save me for your mercy's sake.
For in death there is no remembrance of you,
In the grave who will give you thanks?
I am weary with my groaning,
All night I make my bed swim.
I drench my couch with my tears,
My eye wastes away because of grief.
It grows old because of my enemies.
And so depart from me,
All you workers of iniquity,
For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.
The Lord has heard my supplication.
The Lord will receive my prayer,
And let all of my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled.
All of a sudden,
Let now,
A moment of reflection.
Psalm 7,
Prayer and praise for deliverance from enemies.
In you I put my trust,
Save me from all those who persecute me.
And deliver me,
Lest they tear me like a lion,
Rending me in pieces whilst there is none to deliver.
O Lord my God,
If I have done this,
If there is iniquity in my hands,
If I have repaid evil to those who were at peace with me,
Or have plundered my enemy without cause,
Let the enemy pursue me,
And overtake me.
Yes,
Let him trample my life to the earth,
And lay my honour in the dust.
Arise,
O Lord,
In your anger.
Lift yourself up because of the rage of my enemies.
Rise up for me to the judgment you have commanded.
So the congregation of the people shall surround you.
For their sake,
Therefore,
Return on high,
And there you will judge the people.
And judge me,
O Lord,
According to my righteousness,
And according to the integrity within me.
O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,
But establish the just.
For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds of men.
My defence is from God,
Who saves the upright in heart.
God is a just judge,
And God is angry with the wicked every day.
And if they do not turn back,
He will sharpen his sword.
He will bend his bow and make it ready.
He will prepare his instruments of death.
He will make his arrows into fiery shafts.
Behold,
The wicked bring forth iniquity.
Yes,
They conceive trouble and bring forth falsehood.
They make a pit and dig it out,
But then they are the ones who fall into it.
Their trouble shall return upon their own heads.
And their violent dealing shall come down on their own crown.
And so I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
And now,
A moment of reflection.
Thank you for listening today.
I hope this recording has helped edify you and illuminate your path.
These words have been passed down through the ages by our living God,
For the sake of your sanctification.
How blessed we are to have him,
Kind and merciful in his ways.
And so we give thanks.
Amen.
