Reading The Bible

[Boaz]

Psalm 126

Audio link ;

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/purevoice/niv/Ps.126

A song of ascents.
1
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dreamed.
2
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.
4
Restore our fortunes, Lord,
like streams in the Negev.
5
Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of joy.
6
Those who go out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with them.

[Boaz]

Psalm 126

Audio link ;

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/purevoice/niv/Ps.126

A song of ascents.
1
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dreamed.
2
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.
4
Restore our fortunes, Lord,
like streams in the Negev.
5
Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of joy.
6
Those who go out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with them.

[Boaz]

Psalm 127

Audio link ;

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/purevoice/niv/Ps.127

A song of ascents. Of Solomon.
1
Unless the Lord builds the house,
the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the guards stand watch in vain.
2
In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.
3
Children are a heritage from the Lord,
offspring a reward from him.
4
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth.
5
Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their opponents in court.

[Boaz]

Psalm 128

Audio link ;

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/purevoice/niv/Ps.128

A song of ascents.
1
Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
who walk in obedience to him.
2
You will eat the fruit of your labor;
blessings and prosperity will be yours.
3
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4
Yes, this will be the blessing
for the man who fears the Lord.
5
May the Lord bless you from Zion;
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
6
May you live to see your children’s children—
peace be on Israel .

[Boaz]

Psalm 129

Audio link ;

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/purevoice/niv/Ps.129

A song of ascents.
1
“They have greatly oppressed me from my youth,”
let Israel say;
2
“they have greatly oppressed me from my youth,
but they have not gained the victory over me.
3
Plowmen have plowed my back
and made their furrows long.
4
But the Lord is righteous;
he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.”
5
May all who hate Zion
be turned back in shame.
6
May they be like grass on the roof,
which withers before it can grow;
7
a reaper cannot fill his hands with it,
nor one who gathers fill his arms.
8
May those who pass by not say to them,
“The blessing of the Lord be on you;
we bless you in the name of the Lord.”

[Boaz]

Psalm 130

Audio link ;

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/purevoice/niv/Ps.130

A song of ascents.
1
Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
2
Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
3
If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
4
But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
5
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
6
I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7
Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
8
He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.

[rl69]

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/purevoice/niv/Ps.131

Psalm 131 New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 131
A song of ascents. Of David.

1 My heart is not proud, Lord,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.
3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord
both now and forevermore.

[Boaz]

Psalm 132

Audio link ;

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/purevoice/niv/Ps.132

A song of ascents.
1
Lord, remember David
and all his self-denial.
2
He swore an oath to the Lord,
he made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3
“I will not enter my house
or go to my bed,
4
I will allow no sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5
till I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6
We heard it in Ephrathah,
we came upon it in the fields of Jaar:
7
“Let us go to his dwelling place,
let us worship at his footstool, saying,
8
‘Arise, Lord, and come to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
9
May your priests be clothed with your righteousness;
may your faithful people sing for joy.’”
10
For the sake of your servant David,
do not reject your anointed one.
11
The Lord swore an oath to David,
a sure oath he will not revoke:
“One of your own descendants
I will place on your throne.
12
If your sons keep my covenant
and the statutes I teach them,
then their sons will sit
on your throne for ever and ever.”
13
For the Lord has chosen Zion,
he has desired it for his dwelling, saying,
14
“This is my resting place for ever and ever;
here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it.
15
I will bless her with abundant provisions;
her poor I will satisfy with food.
16
I will clothe her priests with salvation,
and her faithful people will ever sing for joy.
17
“Here I will make a horn grow for David
and set up a lamp for my anointed one.
18
I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but his head will be adorned with a radiant crown.”

[Boaz]

Psalm 132

Audio link ;

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/purevoice/niv/Ps.132

A song of ascents.
1
Lord, remember David
and all his self-denial.
2
He swore an oath to the Lord,
he made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3
“I will not enter my house
or go to my bed,
4
I will allow no sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5
till I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6
We heard it in Ephrathah,
we came upon it in the fields of Jaar:
7
“Let us go to his dwelling place,
let us worship at his footstool, saying,
8
‘Arise, Lord, and come to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
9
May your priests be clothed with your righteousness;
may your faithful people sing for joy.’”
10
For the sake of your servant David,
do not reject your anointed one.
11
The Lord swore an oath to David,
a sure oath he will not revoke:
“One of your own descendants
I will place on your throne.
12
If your sons keep my covenant
and the statutes I teach them,
then their sons will sit
on your throne for ever and ever.”
13
For the Lord has chosen Zion,
he has desired it for his dwelling, saying,
14
“This is my resting place for ever and ever;
here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it.
15
I will bless her with abundant provisions;
her poor I will satisfy with food.
16
I will clothe her priests with salvation,
and her faithful people will ever sing for joy.
17
“Here I will make a horn grow for David
and set up a lamp for my anointed one.
18
I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but his head will be adorned with a radiant crown.”

[Boaz]

Psalm 133

Audio link ;

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/purevoice/niv/Ps.133

A song of ascents. Of David.
1
How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!
2
It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down on the collar of his robe.
3
It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore

[Boaz]

Psalm 134

Audio link ;

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/purevoice/niv/Ps.134

A song of ascents.
1
Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord
who minister by night in the house of the Lord.
2
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
and praise the Lord.
3
May the Lord bless you from Zion,
he who is the Maker of heaven and earth.

[Boaz]

Psalm 135

Audio link ;

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/purevoice/niv/Ps.135

1
Praise the Lord.
Praise the name of the Lord;
praise him, you servants of the Lord,
2
you who minister in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.
3
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.
4
For the Lord has chosen Jacob to be his own,
Israel to be his treasured possession.
5
I know that the Lord is great,
that our Lord is greater than all gods.
6
The Lord does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.
7
He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
8
He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
the firstborn of people and animals.
9
He sent his signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
10
He struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings—
11
Sihon king of the Amorites,
Og king of Bashan,
and all the kings of Canaan—
12
and he gave their land as an inheritance,
an inheritance to his people Israel.
13
Your name, Lord, endures forever,
your renown, Lord, through all generations.
14
For the Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.
15
The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
16
They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
17
They have ears, but cannot hear,
nor is there breath in their mouths.
18
Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
19
All you Israelites, praise the Lord;
house of Aaron, praise the Lord;
20
house of Levi, praise the Lord;
you who fear him, praise the Lord.
21
Praise be to the Lord from Zion,
to him who dwells in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord.

[Boaz]

Psalm 136

Audio link ;

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/purevoice/niv/Ps.136


Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
2
Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
3
Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
4
to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
5
who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
6
who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
7
who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
8
the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
9
the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.
10
to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.
11
and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.
12
with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
His love endures forever.
13
to him who divided the Red Sea asunder
His love endures forever.
14
and brought Israel through the midst of it,
His love endures forever.
15
but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
His love endures forever.
16
to him who led his people through the wilderness;
His love endures forever.
17
to him who struck down great kings,
His love endures forever.
18
and killed mighty kings—
His love endures forever.
19
Sihon king of the Amorites
His love endures forever.
20
and Og king of Bashan—
His love endures forever.
21
and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love endures forever.
22
an inheritance to his servant Israel.
His love endures forever.
23
He remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.
24
and freed us from our enemies.
His love endures forever.
25
He gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.
26
Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.

[Boaz]

Psalm 137

Audio link ;

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/purevoice/niv/Ps.137

1
By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
2
There on the poplars
we hung our harps,
3
for there our captors asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4
How can we sing the songs of the Lord
while in a foreign land?
5
If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget its skill.
6
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem
my highest joy.
7
Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did
on the day Jerusalem fell.
“Tear it down,” they cried,
“tear it down to its foundations!”
8
Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy is the one who repays you
according to what you have done to us.
9
Happy is the one who seizes your infants
and dashes them against the rocks.

[Boaz]

Psalm 138

Audio link ;

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/purevoice/niv/Ps.138

1
I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
2
I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
that it surpasses your fame.
3
When I called, you answered me;
you greatly emboldened me.
4
May all the kings of the earth praise you, Lord,
when they hear what you have decreed.
5
May they sing of the ways of the Lord,
for the glory of the Lord is great.
6
Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;
though lofty, he sees them from afar.
7
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;
with your right hand you save me.
8
The Lord will vindicate me;
your love, Lord, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of your hands.

[Boaz]

Psalm 139

Audio link ;

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/purevoice/niv/Ps.139

1
You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
2
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4
Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
5
You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.
19
If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20
They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21
Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22
I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23
Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

[Boaz]

Psalm 140

Audio link ;

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/purevoice/niv/Ps.140

1
Rescue me, Lord, from evildoers;
protect me from the violent,
2
who devise evil plans in their hearts
and stir up war every day.
3
They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s;
the poison of vipers is on their lips.[b]
4
Keep me safe, Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
protect me from the violent,
who devise ways to trip my feet.
5
The arrogant have hidden a snare for me;
they have spread out the cords of their net
and have set traps for me along my path.
6
I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
Hear, Lord, my cry for mercy.
7
Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer,
you shield my head in the day of battle.
8
Do not grant the wicked their desires, Lord;
do not let their plans succeed.
9
Those who surround me proudly rear their heads;
may the mischief of their lips engulf them.
10
May burning coals fall on them;
may they be thrown into the fire,
into miry pits, never to rise.
11
May slanderers not be established in the land;
may disaster hunt down the violent.
12
I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor
and upholds the cause of the needy.
13
Surely the righteous will praise your name,
and the upright will live in your presence.

[Boaz]

Psalm 141

Audio link ;

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/purevoice/niv/Ps.141


Lord, I cry out to You;
Make haste to me!
Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You.
2
Let my prayer be set before You as incense,
The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
3
Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips.
4
Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice wicked works
With men who work iniquity;
And do not let me eat of their delicacies.
5
Let the righteous strike me;
It shall be a kindness.
And let him rebuke me;
It shall be as excellent oil;
Let my head not refuse it.
For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked.
6
Their judges are overthrown by the sides of the cliff,
And they hear my words, for they are sweet.
7
Our bones are scattered at the mouth of the grave,
As when one plows and breaks up the earth.
8
But my eyes are upon You, O God the Lord;
In You I take refuge;
Do not leave my soul destitute.
9
Keep me from the snares they have laid for me,
And from the traps of the workers of iniquity.
10
Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
While I escape safely.

[Boaz]

Psalm 142

Audio link ;

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/purevoice/niv/Ps.142

A Contemplation of David. A Prayer when he was in the cave.
142
I cry out to the Lord with my voice;
With my voice to the Lord I make my supplication.
2
I pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare before Him my trouble.
3
When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,
Then You knew my path.
In the way in which I walk
They have secretly set a snare for me.
4
Look on my right hand and see,
For there is no one who acknowledges me;
Refuge has failed me;
No one cares for my soul.
5
I cried out to You, O Lord:
I said, “You are my refuge,
My portion in the land of the living.
6
Attend to my cry,
For I am brought very low;
Deliver me from my persecutors,
For they are stronger than I.
7
Bring my soul out of prison,
That I may praise Your name;
The righteous shall surround me,
For You shall deal bountifully with me.”

[Boaz]

Psalm 143

Audio link ;

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/purevoice/niv/Ps.143

Lord, hear my prayer,
listen to my cry for mercy;
in your faithfulness and righteousness
come to my relief.
2
Do not bring your servant into judgment,
for no one living is righteous before you.
3
The enemy pursues me,
he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in the darkness
like those long dead.
4
So my spirit grows faint within me;
my heart within me is dismayed.
5
I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hands have done.
6
I spread out my hands to you;
I thirst for you like a parched land.

7
Answer me quickly, Lord;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
8
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.
9
Rescue me from my enemies, Lord,
for I hide myself in you.
10
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground.

11
For your name’s sake, Lord, preserve my life;
in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
12
In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;
destroy all my foes,
for I am your servant.