The Songbook
New, published 26 October 2026. What else is new
In one sentence: the songs God's people have sung from the Red Sea to the throne of the Lamb, kept in one place so you can learn them, sing them and find the right one when you need it.
✝️ Colossians 3:16 (ESV)
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
God gave Israel a song so that it would "live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring" (Deuteronomy 31:21, ESV). A song carries the word of Christ into memory, and from there into the hard day when it is needed. The study Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs explains what Paul's three words mean and where these songs come from. This page keeps the songs.
Each song gives where it is, its opening words, who first sang it and why, and when to sing it now. Every reference opens the full passage when you tap it. Opening lines are from the World English Bible (public domain) unless marked.
Sing it when…
James gives the rule: "Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise" (James 5:13, ESV). Scripture's songs were each sung at a particular moment, and the same moments still come.
- … God has rescued you
- The Song of the Sea · The Song of Deborah and Barak · David's Song of Deliverance · The Song of Salvation · Psalm 118: The Stone the Builders Rejected · The Song of Moses and of the Lamb
- … an enemy is defeated
- The Song of the Sea · The Song of Deborah and Barak · The Song of Moses and of the Lamb · Hallelujah! The Lord Our God Reigns
- … you want to give thanks
- David's Song of Deliverance · Psalm 100: A Psalm of Thanksgiving · The Hallel: Psalms 113-118 · Psalm 118: The Stone the Builders Rejected · Psalm 136: His Love Endures Forever · Zechariah's Song
- … God has provided
- The Song of the Well
- … a prayer is answered
- The Song of Hannah · Hezekiah's Song
- … a child is given
- The Song of Hannah · Mary's Song · Zechariah's Song · The Angels' Song
- … you are in trouble
- Jonah's Prayer · Habakkuk's Prayer · Psalm 22: My God, My God · Psalm 31: Into Your Hand · Psalm 46: God Is Our Refuge
- … you suffer for Christ
- The Song of Moses and of the Lamb
- … you are sick or recovering
- Hezekiah's Song
- … you have sinned
- The Song of Moses · Jonah's Prayer · Psalm 51: Have Mercy on Me · Awake, O Sleeper
- … you are afraid
- The Song of Salvation · Habakkuk's Prayer · Psalm 23: The LORD Is My Shepherd · Psalm 46: God Is Our Refuge
- … you are grieving
- The Song of the Bow · Psalm 90: Lord, You Have Been Our Dwelling Place · Psalm 22: My God, My God
- … someone is dying
- Psalm 90: Lord, You Have Been Our Dwelling Place · Psalm 23: The LORD Is My Shepherd · Psalm 31: Into Your Hand · Simeon's Song
- … you need to remember
- The Song of Moses · Psalm 136: His Love Endures Forever
- … you take the Lord's Supper
- The Hallel: Psalms 113-118 · Psalm 118: The Stone the Builders Rejected · The New Song: Worthy Is the Lamb
- … you travel to worship
- The Songs of Ascents: Psalms 120-134
- … the day begins
- Awake, O Sleeper · The Morning Hymn
- … the day ends
- Simeon's Song
- … you look at creation
- Psalm 8: How Majestic Is Your Name · The Image of the Invisible God · Holy, Holy, Holy
- … the church gathers to worship
- Psalm 110: Sit at My Right Hand · Psalm 8: How Majestic Is Your Name · Psalm 100: A Psalm of Thanksgiving · The Songs of Ascents: Psalms 120-134 · Psalm 150: Let Everything That Has Breath · Mary's Song · The Angels' Song · He Humbled Himself · The Image of the Invisible God · The Mystery of Godliness · Holy, Holy, Holy · The New Song: Worthy Is the Lamb · Hallelujah! The Lord Our God Reigns · The Morning Hymn
The songs Jesus knew
Jesus grew up singing Israel's songs. The Gospels record Him singing once, and quoting the psalms at the turning points of His ministry. How sure each link is goes with it.
- He sang
- The Hallel: Psalms 113-118 (Psalms 113:1-118:29): "When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives" (Matthew 26:30, ESV): very likely the close of the Hallel. The crowds shouted Psalm 118:25-26 to Him on the road into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:9).
- Psalm 118: The Stone the Builders Rejected (Psalm 118:1-29): He claimed its rejected stone (Matthew 21:42), and very likely sang it last on the night He was betrayed (Matthew 26:30).
- The Songs of Ascents: Psalms 120-134 (Psalms 120:1-134:3): Likely, and inferred. His family went up to Jerusalem every Passover (Luke 2:41-42), and these are the pilgrims' songs. No Gospel says He sang them.
- He quoted
- Psalm 22: My God, My God (Psalm 22:1-31): He cried its first line from the cross (Matthew 27:46). Hebrews puts verse 22 in His mouth (Hebrews 2:12).
- Psalm 31: Into Your Hand (Psalm 31:1-24): His last words on the cross: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" (Luke 23:46, WEB).
- Psalm 110: Sit at My Right Hand (Psalm 110:1-7): He asked the Pharisees how David could call his son "Lord" (Matthew 22:41-45).
- Psalm 8: How Majestic Is Your Name (Psalm 8:1-9): He quoted it when children shouted "Hosanna" in the temple (Matthew 21:16).
- Sung to Him
- Simeon's Song (Luke 2:29-32): Sung over Him as a baby, when He was presented at the temple about forty days after His birth (Luke 2:22; Leviticus 12:2-4).
- The New Song: Worthy Is the Lamb (Revelation 5:9-14): Sung to the Lamb by name (Revelation 5:9, 12).
- The Song of Moses and of the Lamb (Revelation 15:3-4): "The song of the Lamb" (Revelation 15:3).
- The Morning Hymn (Luke 2:14): Addresses Him as "Lord God, Lamb of God," as Pliny's Christians sang "unto Christ as God."
Songs of Israel
The songs outside the Psalter, from Moses to the prophets. The early church kept many of these in a book of Odes bound after the Psalms.
I will sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously. He has thrown the horse and his rider into the sea. WEB
Sing it when God has rescued youan enemy is defeated
The words
1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: “I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted. The horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.
2 The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
3 The LORD is a warrior, the LORD is His name.
4 Pharaoh’s chariots and army He has cast into the sea; the finest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea.
5 The depths have covered them; they sank there like a stone.
6 Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power; Your right hand, O LORD, has shattered the enemy.
7 You overthrew Your adversaries by Your great majesty. You unleashed Your burning wrath; it consumed them like stubble.
8 At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up; like a wall the currents stood firm; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy declared, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.’
10 But You blew with Your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11 Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?
12 You stretched out Your right hand, and the earth swallowed them up.
13 With loving devotion You will lead the people You have redeemed; with Your strength You will guide them to Your holy dwelling.
14 The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the dwellers of Philistia.
15 Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed; trembling will seize the leaders of Moab; those who dwell in Canaan will melt away,
16 and terror and dread will fall on them. By the power of Your arm they will be as still as a stone until Your people pass by, O LORD, until the people You have bought pass by.
17 You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of Your inheritance—the place, O LORD, You have prepared for Your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, Your hands have established.
18 The LORD will reign forever and ever!”
BSB
Spring up, well! Sing to it. WEB
Sing it when God has provided
The words
17 Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well, all of you sing to it!
18 The princes dug the well; the nobles of the people hollowed it out with their scepters and with their staffs.” From the wilderness the Israelites went on to Mattanah,
BSB
Give ear, you heavens, and I will speak. Let the earth hear the words of my mouth. WEB
Sing it when you need to rememberyou have sinned
The words
1 Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
2 Let my teaching fall like rain and my speech settle like dew, like gentle rain on new grass, like showers on tender plants.
3 For I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Ascribe greatness to our God!
4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect; all His ways are just. A God of faithfulness without injustice, righteous and upright is He.
5 His people have acted corruptly toward Him; the blemish on them is not that of His children, but of a perverse and crooked generation.
6 Is this how you repay the LORD, O foolish and senseless people? Is He not your Father and Creator? Has He not made you and established you?
7 Remember the days of old; consider the years long past. Ask your father, and he will tell you, your elders, and they will inform you.
8 When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He divided the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.
9 But the LORD’s portion is His people, Jacob His allotted inheritance.
10 He found him in a desert land, in a barren, howling wilderness; He surrounded him, He instructed him, He guarded him as the apple of His eye.
11 As an eagle stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, He spread His wings to catch them and carried them on His pinions.
12 The LORD alone led him, and no foreign god was with him.
13 He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him the produce of the field. He nourished him with honey from the rock and oil from the flinty crag,
14 with curds from the herd and milk from the flock, with the fat of lambs, with rams from Bashan, and goats, with the choicest grains of wheat. From the juice of the finest grapes you drank the wine.
15 But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—becoming fat, bloated, and gorged. He abandoned the God who made him and scorned the Rock of his salvation.
16 They provoked His jealousy with foreign gods; they enraged Him with abominations.
17 They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they had not known, to newly arrived gods, which your fathers did not fear.
18 You ignored the Rock who brought you forth; you forgot the God who gave you birth.
19 When the LORD saw this, He rejected them, provoked to anger by His sons and daughters.
20 He said: “I will hide My face from them; I will see what will be their end. For they are a perverse generation—children of unfaithfulness.
21 They have provoked My jealousy by that which is not God; they have enraged Me with their worthless idols. So I will make them jealous by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation without understanding.
22 For a fire has been kindled by My anger, and it burns to the depths of Sheol; it consumes the earth and its produce, and scorches the foundations of the mountains.
23 I will heap disasters upon them; I will spend My arrows against them.
24 They will be wasted from hunger and ravaged by pestilence and bitter plague; I will send the fangs of wild beasts against them, with the venom of vipers that slither in the dust.
25 Outside, the sword will take their children, and inside, terror will strike the young man and the young woman, the infant and the gray-haired man.
26 I would have said that I would cut them to pieces and blot out their memory from mankind,
27 if I had not dreaded the taunt of the enemy, lest their adversaries misunderstand and say: ‘Our own hand has prevailed; it was not the LORD who did all this.’”
28 Israel is a nation devoid of counsel, with no understanding among them.
29 If only they were wise, they would understand it; they would comprehend their fate.
30 How could one man pursue a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up?
31 For their rock is not like our Rock, even our enemies concede.
32 But their vine is from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are poisonous; their clusters are bitter.
33 Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poison of cobras.
34 “Have I not stored up these things, sealed up within My vaults?
35 Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.”
36 For the LORD will vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants when He sees that their strength is gone and no one remains, slave or free.
37 He will say: “Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge,
38 which ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up and help you; let them give you shelter!
39 See now that I am He; there is no God besides Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.
40 For I lift up My hand to heaven and declare: As surely as I live forever,
41 when I sharpen My flashing sword, and My hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on My adversaries and repay those who hate Me.
42 I will make My arrows drunk with blood, while My sword devours flesh—the blood of the slain and captives, the heads of the enemy leaders.”
43 Rejoice, [O heavens, with Him, and let all God’s angels worship Him.] Rejoice, O nations, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His children. He will take vengeance on His adversaries [and repay those who hate Him]; He will cleanse His land and His people.
BSB
Hear, you kings! Give ear, you princes! I, even I, will sing to Yahweh. (Judges 5:3) WEB
Sing it when an enemy is defeatedGod has rescued you
The words
1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
2 “When the princes take the lead in Israel, when the people volunteer, bless the LORD.
3 Listen, O kings! Give ear, O princes! I will sing to the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel.
4 O LORD, when You went out from Seir, when You marched from the land of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens poured out rain, and the clouds poured down water.
5 The mountains quaked before the LORD, the One of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel.
6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were deserted and the travelers took the byways.
7 Life in the villages ceased; it ended in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, a mother in Israel.
8 When they chose new gods, then war came to their gates. Not a shield or spear was found among forty thousand in Israel.
9 My heart is with the princes of Israel, with the volunteers among the people. Bless the LORD!
10 You who ride white donkeys, who sit on saddle blankets, and you who travel the road, ponder
11 the voices of the singers at the watering places. There they shall recount the righteous acts of the LORD, the righteous deeds of His villagers in Israel. Then the people of the LORD went down to the gates:
12 ‘Awake, awake, O Deborah! Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, O Barak, and take hold of your captives, O son of Abinoam!’
13 Then the survivors came down to the nobles; the people of the LORD came down to me against the mighty.
14 Some came from Ephraim, with their roots in Amalek; Benjamin came with your people after you. The commanders came down from Machir, the bearers of the marshal’s staff from Zebulun.
15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah, and Issachar was with Barak, rushing into the valley at his heels. In the clans of Reuben there was great indecision.
16 Why did you sit among the sheepfolds to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the clans of Reuben there was great indecision.
17 Gilead remained beyond the Jordan. Dan, why did you linger by the ships? Asher stayed at the coast and remained in his harbors.
18 Zebulun was a people who risked their lives; Naphtali, too, on the heights of the battlefield.
19 Kings came and fought; then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo, but they took no plunder of silver.
20 From the heavens the stars fought; from their courses they fought against Sisera.
21 The River Kishon swept them away, the ancient river, the River Kishon. March on, O my soul, in strength!
22 Then the hooves of horses thundered—the mad galloping of his stallions.
23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ says the angel of the LORD. ‘Bitterly curse her inhabitants; for they did not come to help the LORD, to help the LORD against the mighty.’
24 Most blessed among women is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk. In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.
26 She reached for the tent peg, her right hand for the workman’s hammer. She struck Sisera and crushed his skull; she shattered and pierced his temple.
27 At her feet he collapsed, he fell, there he lay still; at her feet he collapsed, he fell; where he collapsed, there he fell dead.
28 Sisera’s mother looked through the window; she peered through the lattice and lamented: ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? What has delayed the clatter of his chariots?’
29 Her wisest ladies answer; indeed she keeps telling herself,
30 ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoil—a girl or two for each warrior, a plunder of dyed garments for Sisera, the spoil of embroidered garments for the neck of the looter?’
31 So may all Your enemies perish, O LORD! But may those who love You shine like the sun at its brightest.” And the land had rest for forty years.
BSB
My heart exults in Yahweh! My horn is exalted in Yahweh. WEB
Sing it when a child is givena prayer is answered
The words
1 At that time Hannah prayed: “My heart rejoices in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, for I rejoice in Your salvation.
2 There is no one holy like the LORD. Indeed, there is no one besides You! And there is no Rock like our God.
3 Do not boast so proudly, or let arrogance come from your mouth, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by Him actions are weighed.
4 The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble are equipped with strength.
5 The well-fed hire themselves out for food, but the starving hunger no more. The barren woman gives birth to seven, but she who has many sons pines away.
6 The LORD brings death and gives life; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts.
8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them among princes and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s, and upon them He has set the world.
9 He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness; for by his own strength shall no man prevail.
10 Those who oppose the LORD will be shattered. He will thunder from heaven against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth and will give power to His king. He will exalt the horn of His anointed.”
BSB
Your glory, Israel, was slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen! WEB
Sing it when you are grieving
The words
19 “Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights. How the mighty have fallen!
20 Tell it not in Gath; proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, and the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.
21 O mountains of Gilboa, may you have no dew or rain, no fields yielding offerings of grain. For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, no longer anointed with oil.
22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not retreat, and the sword of Saul did not return empty.
23 Saul and Jonathan, beloved and delightful in life, were not divided in death. They were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions.
24 O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and luxury, who decked your garments with ornaments of gold.
25 How the mighty have fallen in the thick of battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
26 I grieve for you, Jonathan, my brother. You were delightful to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.
27 How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war have perished!”
BSB
Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. WEB
Sing it when God has rescued youyou want to give thanks
The words
1 And David sang this song to the LORD on the day the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.
2 He said: “The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer.
3 My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation. My stronghold, my refuge, and my Savior, You save me from violence.
4 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.
5 For the waves of death engulfed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.
6 The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
7 In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried out to my God. And from His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for help reached His ears.
8 Then the earth shook and quaked; the foundations of the heavens trembled; they were shaken because He burned with anger.
9 Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire came from His mouth; glowing coals blazed forth.
10 He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.
11 He mounted a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness a canopy around Him, a gathering of water and thick clouds.
13 From the brightness of His presence coals of fire blazed forth.
14 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.
15 He shot His arrows and scattered the foes; He hurled lightning and routed them.
16 The channels of the sea appeared, and the foundations of the world were exposed at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
17 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.
18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from foes too mighty for me.
19 They confronted me in my day of calamity, but the LORD was my support.
20 He brought me out into the open; He rescued me because He delighted in me.
21 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.
22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 For all His ordinances are before me; I have not disregarded His statutes.
24 And I have been blameless before Him and kept myself from iniquity.
25 So the LORD has repaid me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in His sight.
26 To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
27 to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.
28 You save an afflicted people, but Your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
29 For You, O LORD, are my lamp; the LORD lights up my darkness.
30 For in You I can charge an army; with my God I can scale a wall.
31 As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
32 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?
33 God is my strong fortress, and He makes my way clear.
34 He makes my feet like those of a deer and stations me upon the heights.
35 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You have given me Your shield of salvation, and Your gentleness exalts me.
37 You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way.
38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them; I did not turn back until they were consumed.
39 I devoured and crushed them so they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.
40 You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.
41 You have made my enemies retreat before me; I destroyed those who hated me.
42 They looked, but there was no one to save them—to the LORD, but He did not answer.
43 I ground them as the dust of the earth; I crushed and trampled them like mud in the streets.
44 You have delivered me from the strife of my people; You have preserved me as the head of nations; a people I had not known shall serve me.
45 Foreigners cower before me; when they hear me, they obey me.
46 Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their strongholds.
47 The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock! And may God, the Rock of my salvation, be exalted—
48 the God who avenges me and brings down nations beneath me,
49 who frees me from my enemies. You exalt me above my foes; You rescue me from violent men.
50 Therefore I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name.
51 Great salvation He brings to His king. He shows loving devotion to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.”
BSB
Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust, and will not be afraid; for Yah, Yahweh, is my strength and song. (Isaiah 12:2) WEB
Sing it when God has rescued youyou are afraid
The words
1 In that day you will say: “O LORD, I will praise You. Although You were angry with me, Your anger has turned away, and You have comforted me.
2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. For the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and He also has become my salvation.”
3 With joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation,
4 and on that day you will say: “Give praise to the LORD; proclaim His name! Make His works known among the peoples; declare that His name is exalted.
5 Sing to the LORD, for He has done glorious things. Let this be known in all the earth.
6 Cry out and sing, O citizen of Zion, for great among you is the Holy One of Israel.”
BSB
I called because of my affliction to Yahweh. He answered me. WEB
Sing it when you are in troubleyou have sinned
The words
2 saying: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me. From the belly of Sheol I called for help, and You heard my voice.
3 For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the current swirled about me; all Your breakers and waves swept over me.
4 At this, I said, ‘I have been banished from Your sight; yet I will look once more toward Your holy temple.’
5 The waters engulfed me to take my life; the watery depths closed around me; the seaweed wrapped around my head.
6 To the roots of the mountains I descended; the earth beneath me barred me in forever! But You raised my life from the pit, O LORD my God!
7 As my life was fading away, I remembered the LORD. My prayer went up to You, to Your holy temple.
8 Those who cling to worthless idols forsake His loving devotion.
9 But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to You. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation is from the LORD!”
BSB
In the middle of my life I go into the gates of Sheol. WEB
Sing it when you are sick or recoveringa prayer is answered
The words
10 I said, “In the prime of my life I must go through the gates of Sheol and be deprived of the remainder of my years.”
11 I said, “I will never again see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living; I will no longer look on mankind with those who dwell in this world.
12 My dwelling has been picked up and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent. I have rolled up my life like a weaver; He cuts me off from the loom; from day until night You make an end of me.
13 I composed myself until the morning. Like a lion He breaks all my bones; from day until night You make an end of me.
14 I chirp like a swallow or crane; I moan like a dove. My eyes grow weak as I look upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; be my security.”
15 What can I say? He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done this. I will walk slowly all my years because of the anguish of my soul.
16 O Lord, by such things men live, and in all of them my spirit finds life. You have restored me to health and have let me live.
17 Surely for my own welfare I had such great anguish; but Your love has delivered me from the pit of oblivion, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.
18 For Sheol cannot thank You; Death cannot praise You. Those who descend to the Pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.
19 The living, only the living, can thank You, as I do today; fathers will tell their children about Your faithfulness.
20 The LORD will save me; we will play songs on stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the house of the LORD.
BSB
For even though the fig tree doesn't flourish … yet I will rejoice in Yahweh. I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! (Habakkuk 3:17-18) WEB
Sing it when you are in troubleyou are afraid
The words
2 O LORD, I have heard the report of You; I stand in awe, O LORD, of Your deeds. Revive them in these years; make them known in these years. In Your wrath, remember mercy!
3 God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens, and His praise filled the earth.
4 His radiance was like the sunlight; rays flashed from His hand, where His power is hidden.
5 Plague went before Him, and fever followed in His steps.
6 He stood and measured the earth; He looked and startled the nations; the ancient mountains crumbled; the perpetual hills collapsed. His ways are everlasting.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in distress; the curtains of Midian were trembling.
8 Were You angry at the rivers, O LORD? Was Your wrath against the streams? Did You rage against the sea when You rode on Your horses, on Your chariots of salvation?
9 You brandished Your bow; You called for many arrows. Selah You split the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains saw You and quaked; torrents of water swept by. The deep roared with its voice and lifted its hands on high.
11 Sun and moon stood still in their places at the flash of Your flying arrows, at the brightness of Your shining spear.
12 You marched across the earth with fury; You threshed the nations in wrath.
13 You went forth for the salvation of Your people, to save Your anointed. You crushed the head of the house of the wicked and stripped him from head to toe. Selah
14 With his own spear You pierced his head, when his warriors stormed out to scatter us, gloating as though ready to secretly devour the weak.
15 You trampled the sea with Your horses, churning the great waters.
16 I heard and trembled within; my lips quivered at the sound. Decay entered my bones; I trembled where I stood. Yet I must wait patiently for the day of distress to come upon the people who invade us.
17 Though the fig tree does not bud and no fruit is on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though the sheep are cut off from the fold and no cattle are in the stalls,
18 yet I will exult in the LORD; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!
19 GOD the Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like those of a deer; He makes me walk upon the heights!
BSB
From the Psalter
Israel's songbook: 150 psalms in five books. A selection, with the collections Jesus sang at the feasts.
Lord, you have been our dwelling place for all generations. WEB
Sing it when you are grievingsomeone is dying
The words
1 A prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, You have been our dwelling place through all generations.
2 Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.
3 You return man to dust, saying, “Return, O sons of mortals.”
4 For in Your sight a thousand years are but a day that passes, or a watch of the night.
5 You sweep them away in their sleep; they are like the new grass of the morning—
6 in the morning it springs up new, but by evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are consumed by Your anger and terrified by Your wrath.
8 You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.
9 For all our days decline in Your fury; we finish our years with a sigh.
10 The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty if we are strong—yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
11 Who knows the power of Your anger? Your wrath matches the fear You are due.
12 So teach us to number our days, that we may present a heart of wisdom.
13 Return, O LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on Your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with Your loving devotion, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen evil.
16 May Your work be shown to Your servants, and Your splendor to their children.
17 May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish for us the work of our hands—yes, establish the work of our hands!
BSB
Yahweh is my shepherd; I shall lack nothing. WEB
Sing it when you are afraidsomeone is dying
The words
1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
BSB
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? WEB
He quoted. He cried its first line from the cross (Matthew 27:46). Hebrews puts verse 22 in His mouth (Hebrews 2:12).
Sing it when you are in troubleyou are grieving
The words
1 For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning?
2 I cry out by day, O my God, but You do not answer, and by night, but I have no rest.
3 Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You delivered them.
5 They cried out to You and were set free; they trusted in You and were not disappointed.
6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me; they sneer and shake their heads:
8 “He trusts in the LORD, let the LORD deliver him; let the LORD rescue him, since He delights in him.”
9 Yet You brought me forth from the womb; You made me secure at my mother’s breast.
10 From birth I was cast upon You; from my mother’s womb You have been my God.
11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.
12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
13 They open their jaws against me like lions that roar and maul.
14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed. My heart is like wax; it melts away within me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You lay me in the dust of death.
16 For dogs surround me; a band of evil men encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet.
17 I can count all my bones; they stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.
19 But You, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of wild dogs.
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion; at the horns of the wild oxen You have answered me!
22 I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; I will praise You in the assembly.
23 You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All descendants of Jacob, honor Him! All offspring of Israel, revere Him!
24 For He has not despised or detested the torment of the afflicted. He has not hidden His face from him, but has attended to his cry for help.
25 My praise for You resounds in the great assembly; I will fulfill my vows before those who fear You.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the LORD will praise Him. May your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him.
28 For dominion belongs to the LORD and He rules over the nations.
29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before Him—even those unable to preserve their lives.
30 Posterity will serve Him; they will declare the Lord to a new generation.
31 They will come and proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn—all that He has done.
BSB
Into your hand I commend my spirit. You redeem me, Yahweh, God of truth. (Psalm 31:5) WEB
He quoted. His last words on the cross: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" (Luke 23:46, WEB).
Sing it when you are in troublesomeone is dying
The words
1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; save me by Your righteousness.
2 Incline Your ear to me; come quickly to my rescue. Be my rock of refuge, the stronghold of my deliverance.
3 For You are my rock and my fortress; lead me and guide me for the sake of Your name.
4 You free me from the net laid out for me, for You are my refuge.
5 Into Your hands I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD, God of truth.
6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols, but in the LORD I trust.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in Your loving devotion, for You have seen my affliction; You have known the anguish of my soul.
8 You have not delivered me to the enemy; You have set my feet in the open.
9 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes fail from sorrow, my soul and body as well.
10 For my life is consumed with grief and my years with groaning; my iniquity has drained my strength, and my bones are wasting away.
11 Among all my enemies I am a disgrace, and among my neighbors even more. I am dreaded by my friends—they flee when they see me on the street.
12 I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind. I am like a broken vessel.
13 For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side. They conspire against me and plot to take my life.
14 But I trust in You, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in Your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.
16 Make Your face shine on Your servant; save me by Your loving devotion.
17 O LORD, let me not be ashamed, for I have called on You. Let the wicked be put to shame; let them lie silent in Sheol.
18 May lying lips be silenced—lips that speak with arrogance against the righteous, full of pride and contempt.
19 How great is Your goodness which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have bestowed before the sons of men on those who take refuge in You!
20 You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the schemes of men. You conceal them in Your shelter from accusing tongues.
21 Blessed be the LORD, for He has shown me His loving devotion in a city under siege.
22 In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from Your sight!” But You heard my plea for mercy when I called to You for help.
23 Love the LORD, all His saints. The LORD preserves the faithful, but fully repays the arrogant.
24 Be strong and courageous, all you who hope in the LORD.
BSB
Yahweh says to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool for your feet." WEB
He quoted. He asked the Pharisees how David could call his son "Lord" (Matthew 22:41-45).
Sing it when the church gathers to worship
The words
1 A Psalm of David. The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
2 The LORD extends Your mighty scepter from Zion: “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”
3 Your people shall be willing on Your day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn, to You belongs the dew of Your youth.
4 The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord is at Your right hand; He will crush kings in the day of His wrath.
6 He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead; He will crush the leaders far and wide.
7 He will drink from the brook by the road; therefore He will lift up His head.
BSB
From the lips of babes and infants you have established strength. (Psalm 8:2) WEB
He quoted. He quoted it when children shouted "Hosanna" in the temple (Matthew 21:16).
Sing it when the church gathers to worshipyou look at creation
The words
1 For the choirmaster. According to Gittith. A Psalm of David. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens.
2 From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise on account of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and avenger.
3 When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place—
4 what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him?
5 You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him ruler of the works of Your hands; You have placed everything under his feet:
7 all sheep and oxen, and even the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!
BSB
Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness. WEB
Sing it when you have sinned
The words
1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him after his adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be proved right when You speak and blameless when You judge.
5 Surely I was brought forth in iniquity; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.
6 Surely You desire truth in the inmost being; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You.
14 Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.
16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
18 In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, in whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on Your altar.
BSB
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. WEB
Sing it when you are in troubleyou are afraid
The words
1 For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth is transformed and the mountains are toppled into the depths of the seas,
3 though their waters roar and foam and the mountains quake in the surge. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams delight the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her; she will not be moved. God will help her when morning dawns.
6 Nations rage, kingdoms crumble; the earth melts when He lifts His voice.
7 The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
8 Come, see the works of the LORD, who brings devastation upon the earth.
9 He makes wars to cease throughout the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields in the fire.
10 “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted over the earth.”
11 The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
BSB
Shout for joy to Yahweh, all you lands! WEB
Sing it when you want to give thanksthe church gathers to worship
The words
1 A Psalm of thanksgiving. Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Serve the LORD with gladness; come into His presence with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and bless His name.
5 For the LORD is good, and His loving devotion endures forever; His faithfulness continues to all generations.
BSB
Praise Yah! Praise, you servants of Yahweh, praise Yahweh's name. WEB
He sang. "When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives" (Matthew 26:30, ESV): very likely the close of the Hallel. The crowds shouted Psalm 118:25-26 to Him on the road into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:9).
Sing it when you take the Lord's Supperyou want to give thanks
The words
Psalm 113
1 Hallelujah! Give praise, O servants of the LORD; praise the name of the LORD.
2 Blessed be the name of the LORD both now and forevermore.
3 From where the sun rises to where it sets, the name of the LORD is praised.
4 The LORD is exalted over all the nations, His glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the LORD our God, the One enthroned on high?
6 He humbles Himself to behold the heavens and the earth.
7 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the dump
8 to seat them with nobles, with the princes of His people.
9 He settles the barren woman in her home as a joyful mother to her children. Hallelujah!
Psalm 114
1 When Israel departed from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
2 Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel His dominion.
3 The sea observed and fled; the Jordan turned back;
4 the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.
5 Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you turned back,
6 O mountains, that you skipped like rams, O hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turned the rock into a pool, the flint into a fountain of water!
Psalm 115
1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your loving devotion, because of Your faithfulness.
2 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in heaven; He does as He pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.
5 They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see;
6 they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell;
7 they have hands, but cannot feel; they have feet, but cannot walk; they cannot even clear their throats.
8 Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.
9 O Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield.
11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield.
12 The LORD is mindful of us; He will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron;
13 He will bless those who fear the LORD—small and great alike.
14 May the LORD give you increase, both you and your children.
15 May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
16 The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth He has given to mankind.
17 It is not the dead who praise the LORD, nor any who descend into silence.
18 But it is we who will bless the LORD, both now and forevermore. Hallelujah!
Psalm 116
1 I love the LORD, for He has heard my voice—my appeal for mercy.
2 Because He has inclined His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.
3 The ropes of death entangled me; the anguish of Sheol overcame me; I was confronted by trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, deliver my soul!”
5 The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
6 The LORD preserves the simplehearted; I was helpless, and He saved me.
7 Return to your rest, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.
8 For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
9 I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
10 I believed, therefore I said, “I am greatly afflicted.”
11 In my alarm I said, “All men are liars!”
12 How can I repay the LORD for all His goodness to me?
13 I will lift the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.
16 Truly, O LORD, I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have broken my bonds.
17 I will offer to You a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people,
19 in the courts of the LORD’s house, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Hallelujah!
Psalm 117
1 Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol Him, all you peoples!
2 For great is His loving devotion toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Hallelujah!
Psalm 118
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.
2 Let Israel say, “His loving devotion endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say, “His loving devotion endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the LORD say, “His loving devotion endures forever.”
5 In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered and set me free.
6 The LORD is on my side; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
7 The LORD is on my side; He is my helper. Therefore I will look in triumph on those who hate me.
8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.
10 All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
11 They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
12 They swarmed around me like bees, but they were extinguished like burning thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
13 I was pushed so hard I was falling, but the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation.
15 Shouts of joy and salvation resound in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the LORD performs with valor!
16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted! The right hand of the LORD performs with valor!”
17 I will not die, but I will live and proclaim what the LORD has done.
18 The LORD disciplined me severely, but He has not given me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter and give thanks to the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I will give You thanks, for You have answered me, and You have become my salvation.
22 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
23 This is from the LORD, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 O LORD, save us, we pray. We beseech You, O LORD, cause us to prosper!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you.
27 The LORD is God; He has made His light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will give You thanks. You are my God, and I will exalt You.
29 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.
BSB
Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever. WEB
He sang. He claimed its rejected stone (Matthew 21:42), and very likely sang it last on the night He was betrayed (Matthew 26:30).
Sing it when you take the Lord's Supperyou want to give thanksGod has rescued you
The words
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.
2 Let Israel say, “His loving devotion endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say, “His loving devotion endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the LORD say, “His loving devotion endures forever.”
5 In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered and set me free.
6 The LORD is on my side; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
7 The LORD is on my side; He is my helper. Therefore I will look in triumph on those who hate me.
8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.
10 All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
11 They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
12 They swarmed around me like bees, but they were extinguished like burning thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
13 I was pushed so hard I was falling, but the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation.
15 Shouts of joy and salvation resound in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the LORD performs with valor!
16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted! The right hand of the LORD performs with valor!”
17 I will not die, but I will live and proclaim what the LORD has done.
18 The LORD disciplined me severely, but He has not given me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter and give thanks to the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I will give You thanks, for You have answered me, and You have become my salvation.
22 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
23 This is from the LORD, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 O LORD, save us, we pray. We beseech You, O LORD, cause us to prosper!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you.
27 The LORD is God; He has made His light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will give You thanks. You are my God, and I will exalt You.
29 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.
BSB
In my distress, I cried to Yahweh. He answered me. WEB
He sang. Likely, and inferred. His family went up to Jerusalem every Passover (Luke 2:41-42), and these are the pilgrims' songs. No Gospel says He sang them.
Sing it when you travel to worshipthe church gathers to worship
The words
Psalm 120
1 A song of ascents. In my distress I cried to the LORD, and He answered me.
2 Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.
3 What will He do to you, and what will be added to you, O deceitful tongue?
4 Sharp arrows will come from the warrior, with burning coals of the broom tree!
5 Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!
6 Too long have I dwelt among those who hate peace.
7 I am in favor of peace; but when I speak, they want war.
Psalm 121
1 A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber.
4 Behold, the Protector of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is the shade on your right hand.
6 The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will guard you from all evil; He will preserve your soul.
8 The LORD will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore.
Psalm 122
1 A song of ascents. Of David. I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”
2 Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is built up as a city united together,
4 where the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as a testimony for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5 For there the thrones of judgment stand, the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you prosper.
7 May there be peace within your walls, and prosperity inside your fortresses.”
8 For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.
Psalm 123
1 A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to You, the One enthroned in heaven.
2 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes are on the LORD our God until He shows us mercy.
3 Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy, for we have endured much contempt.
4 We have endured much scorn from the arrogant, much contempt from the proud.
Psalm 124
1 A song of ascents. Of David. If the LORD had not been on our side—let Israel now declare—
2 if the LORD had not been on our side when men attacked us,
3 when their anger flared against us, then they would have swallowed us alive,
4 then the floods would have engulfed us, then the torrent would have overwhelmed us,
5 then the raging waters would have swept us away.
6 Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth.
7 We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; the net is torn, and we have slipped away.
8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 125
1 A song of ascents. Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion. It cannot be moved; it abides forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people, both now and forevermore.
3 For the scepter of the wicked will not rest upon the land allotted to the righteous, so that the righteous will not put forth their hands to injustice.
4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to the upright in heart.
5 But those who turn to crooked ways the LORD will banish with the evildoers. Peace be upon Israel.
Psalm 126
1 A song of ascents. When the LORD restored the captives of Zion, we were like dreamers.
2 Then our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with shouts 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; we are filled with joy.
4 Restore our captives, O LORD, like streams in the Negev.
5 Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.
6 He who goes out weeping, bearing a trail of seed, will surely return with shouts of joy, carrying sheaves of grain.
Psalm 127
1 A song of ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain; unless the LORD protects the city, its watchmen stand guard in vain.
2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for bread to eat—for He gives sleep to His beloved.
3 Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are children born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. He will not be put to shame when he confronts the enemies at the gate.
Psalm 128
1 A song of ascents. Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in His ways!
2 For when you eat the fruit of your labor, blessings and prosperity will be yours.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine flourishing within your house, your sons like olive shoots sitting around your table.
4 In this way indeed shall blessing come to the man who fears the LORD.
5 May the LORD bless you from Zion, that you may see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life,
6 that you may see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!
Psalm 129
1 A song of ascents. Many a time they have persecuted me from my youth—let Israel now declare—
2 many a time they have persecuted me from my youth, but they have not prevailed against me.
3 The plowmen plowed over my back; they made their furrows long.
4 The LORD is righteous; He has cut me 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 rooftops, which withers before it can grow,
7 unable to fill the hands of the reaper, or the arms of the binder of sheaves.
8 May none who pass by say to them, “The blessing of the LORD be on you; we bless you in the name of the LORD.”
Psalm 130
1 A song of ascents. Out of the depths I cry to You, O LORD!
2 O Lord, hear my voice; let Your ears be attentive to my plea for mercy.
3 If You, O LORD, kept track of iniquities, then who, O Lord, could stand?
4 But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be feared.
5 I wait for the LORD; my soul does wait, and in His word I put my hope.
6 My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning—more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is loving devotion, and with Him is redemption in abundance.
8 And He will redeem Israel from all iniquity.
Psalm 131
1 A song of ascents. Of David. My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty. I do not aspire to great things or matters too lofty for me.
2 Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, both now and forevermore.
Psalm 132
1 A song of ascents. O LORD, remember on behalf of David all the hardships he endured,
2 how he swore an oath to the LORD, and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3 “I will not enter my house or get into my bed,
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6 We heard that the ark was in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar.
7 Let us go to His dwelling place; let us worship at His footstool.
8 Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength.
9 May Your priests be clothed with righteousness, and Your saints shout 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 promise He will not revoke: “One of your descendants I will place on your throne.
12 If your sons keep My covenant and the testimony I will teach them, then their sons will also sit on your throne forever and ever.”
13 For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His home:
14 “This is My resting place forever and ever; here I will dwell, for I have desired this home.
15 I will bless her with abundant provisions; I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints will sing out in joy.
17 There I will make a horn grow for David; I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one.
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame, but the crown upon him will gleam.”
Psalm 133
1 A song of ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!
2 It is like fine oil on the head, running down on the beard, running down Aaron’s beard over the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon falling on the mountains of Zion. For there the LORD has bestowed the blessing of life forevermore.
Psalm 134
1 A song of ascents. Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who serve by night in the house of the LORD!
2 Lift up your hands to the sanctuary and bless the LORD!
3 May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.
BSB
Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever. WEB
Sing it when you want to give thanksyou need to remember
The words
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His loving devotion endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods. His loving devotion endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His loving devotion endures forever.
4 He alone does great wonders. His loving devotion endures forever.
5 By His insight He made the heavens. His loving devotion endures forever.
6 He spread out the earth upon the waters. His loving devotion endures forever.
7 He made the great lights—His loving devotion endures forever.
8 the sun to rule the day, His loving devotion endures forever.
9 the moon and stars to govern the night. His loving devotion endures forever.
10 He struck down the firstborn of Egypt His loving devotion endures forever.
11 and brought Israel out from among them His loving devotion endures forever.
12 with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. His loving devotion endures forever.
13 He divided the Red Sea in two His loving devotion endures forever.
14 and led Israel through the midst, His loving devotion endures forever.
15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea. His loving devotion endures forever.
16 He led His people through the wilderness. His loving devotion endures forever.
17 He struck down great kings His loving devotion endures forever.
18 and slaughtered mighty kings—His loving devotion endures forever.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites His loving devotion endures forever.
20 and Og king of Bashan—His loving devotion endures forever.
21 and He gave their land as an inheritance, His loving devotion endures forever.
22 a heritage to His servant Israel. His loving devotion endures forever.
23 He remembered us in our low estate His loving devotion endures forever.
24 and freed us from our enemies. His loving devotion endures forever.
25 He gives food to every creature. His loving devotion endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven! His loving devotion endures forever.
BSB
Let everything that has breath praise Yah! Praise Yah! (Psalm 150:6) WEB
Sing it when the church gathers to worship
The words
1 Hallelujah! Praise God in His sanctuary. Praise Him in His mighty heavens.
2 Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him for His excellent greatness.
3 Praise Him with the sound of the horn; praise Him with the harp and lyre.
4 Praise Him with tambourine and dancing; praise Him with strings and flute.
5 Praise Him with clashing cymbals; praise Him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Hallelujah!
BSB
Songs of the first church
The songs Luke records at the birth of Jesus, and the passages in Paul's letters that have the shape of hymns. Which of those Paul wrote and which he quoted is debated, and each card says so.
My soul magnifies the Lord. My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. WEB
Sing it when a child is giventhe church gathers to worship
The words
46 Then Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
48 For He has looked with favor on the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed.
49 For the Mighty One has done great things for me. Holy is His name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful,
55 as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.”
BSB
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people. WEB
Sing it when a child is givenyou want to give thanks
The words
68 “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people.
69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David,
70 as He spoke through His holy prophets, those of ages past,
71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,
72 to show mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant,
73 the oath He swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 deliverance from hostile hands, that we may serve Him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives.
76 And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him,
77 to give to His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high,
79 to shine on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
BSB
Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men. WEB
Sing it when a child is giventhe church gathers to worship
The words
13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying:
14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!”
BSB
Now you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace. WEB
Sung to Him. Sung over Him as a baby, when He was presented at the temple about forty days after His birth (Luke 2:22; Leviticus 12:2-4).
Sing it when someone is dyingthe day ends
The words
29 “Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
31 which You have prepared in the sight of all people,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.”
BSB
Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. WEB
Sing it when the day beginsyou have sinned
The words
14 So it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
BSB
who, existing in the form of God, didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped. WEB
Sing it when the church gathers to worship
The words
6 Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
BSB
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. WEB
Sing it when the church gathers to worshipyou look at creation
The words
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16 For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.
17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
18 And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence.
19 For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him,
20 and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.
BSB
God was revealed in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, and received up in glory. WEB
Sing it when the church gathers to worship
The words
16 By common confession, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among the nations, was believed in throughout the world, was taken up in glory.
BSB
Songs of heaven
The songs John heard around the throne in Revelation, sung to the One who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come! WEB
Sing it when the church gathers to worshipyou look at creation
The words
8 And each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around and within. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
9 And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the One seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
10 the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated on the throne, and they worship Him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying:
11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and were created.”
BSB
You are worthy to take the book and to open its seals, for you were killed, and bought us for God with your blood. WEB
Sung to Him. Sung to the Lamb by name (Revelation 5:9, 12).
Sing it when the church gathers to worshipyou take the Lord's Supper
The words
9 And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign upon the earth.”
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels encircling the throne, and the living creatures and the elders. And their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands.
12 In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever!”
14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
BSB
Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God, the Almighty! Righteous and true are your ways, you King of the nations. WEB
Sung to Him. "The song of the Lamb" (Revelation 15:3).
Sing it when an enemy is defeatedGod has rescued youyou suffer for Christ
The words
3 and they sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: “Great and wonderful are Your works, O Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations!
4 Who will not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.”
BSB
Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns! (Revelation 19:6) WEB
Sing it when an enemy is defeatedthe church gathers to worship
The words
1 After this I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude in heaven, shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God!
2 For His judgments are true and just. He has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the blood of His servants that was poured out by her hand.”
3 And a second time they called out: “Hallelujah! Her smoke rises forever and ever.”
4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying: “Amen, Hallelujah!”
5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you who serve Him, and those who fear Him, small and great alike!”
6 And I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude, like the rushing of many waters, and like a mighty rumbling of thunder, crying out: “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him the glory. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.
8 She was given clothing of fine linen, bright and pure.” For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints.
BSB
Songs the early church wrote
Christians wrote new songs about Jesus from the beginning. Around AD 112 Pliny reported that they sang "a song unto Christ as God" before daylight (Pliny, Letters 10.96). Early in the third century a writer quoted by Eusebius pointed to the "psalms and hymns, written by the faithful brethren from the beginning," that "celebrate Christ the Word of God, speaking of him as Divine" (Eusebius, Church History 5.28.5, NPNF2 1). Only songs whose text survives in a source this site holds are listed.
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men. We praise you, we bless you, we worship you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty; Lord, only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Odes 14:1, Swete's Septuagint (public domain), translated for this page
Sung to Him. Addresses Him as "Lord God, Lamb of God," as Pliny's Christians sang "unto Christ as God."
Sing it when the day beginsthe church gathers to worship
The words
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men.
We praise you, we bless you, we worship you, we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty;
Lord, only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit.
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us;
who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; receive our prayer;
who sits at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.
For you alone are holy; you alone are Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Every day I will bless you, and praise your name forever, and forever and ever. (Psalm 145:2)
Lord, grant that we be kept this day without sin.
Blessed are you, Lord, the God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is your name forever. Amen. (The Prayer of Azariah, in the Greek of Daniel 3)
Blessed are you, Lord; teach me your statutes. (Psalm 119:12, sung three times)
Lord, you have been our refuge from generation to generation. (Psalm 90:1)
I said, Lord, have mercy on me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against you. (Psalm 41:4)
Lord, I have fled to you for refuge; teach me to do your will, for you are my God. (Psalm 143:9-10)
For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we will see light. (Psalm 36:9)
Continue your mercy to those who know you. (Psalm 36:10)
Odes 14:1, Swete's Septuagint (public domain), translated for this page
How they were sung
The tunes are lost. No melody from Scripture survives in a form anyone can sing, so every card here gives the words. Scripture does keep some of the instructions that went with them.
Several psalm titles name a tune or a setting, the way a hymn book prints a tune's name above the words. Psalm 22 is "set to 'The Doe of the Morning'", Psalm 8 is "on an instrument of Gath", and Psalm 46 is "according to Alamoth" (WEB). Their cards say what each term may mean and how sure that is.
Some of those terms had passed out of use before Jesus was born. The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Psalms, probably made in the second century BC, renders the same titles "for the help of the morning", "for the winepresses" and "concerning hidden things". Its translators read the Hebrew letters as ordinary words, because the musical sense was no longer known.
Others were the temple musicians' own terms. When David brought the ark to Jerusalem, Levites played "stringed instruments set to Alamoth" and "harps tuned to the eight-stringed lyre" (1 Chronicles 15:20-21, WEB).
The Hebrew Bible also carries marks for chanting. The Masoretes, the scribes who copied it from about the seventh to the tenth century AD, added an accent to each word telling a reader how to chant it, with a system of its own for Psalms, Job and Proverbs. The accents record how the synagogue chanted the text in their day. Attempts to rebuild David's melodies from them are disputed.
Adding a song
The songs live in docs/data/songbook.toml, one entry per song; the file's header lists the
fields. A study links to a song as ../resources/songbook.md#song-<id>.