Boomerang Psalms

Here is a selection of what I have called Boomerang Psalms. With these to start you thinking, you can identify others as you read. 

Psalm 5

¹Give ear to my words, O Lord; give heed to my sighing. ²Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I pray. ³O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.

⁴For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil will not sojourn with you. ⁵The boastful will not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. ⁶You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.

⁷But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you. ⁸Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.

⁹For there is no truth in their mouths; their hearts are destruction; their throats are open graves; they flatter with their tongues. ¹⁰Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of their many transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.

¹¹But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, so that those who love your name may exult in you. ¹²For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover them with favor as with a shield.

Psalm 7

¹O Lord my God, in you I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers, and deliver me, ²or like a lion they will tear me apart; they will drag me away, with no one to rescue.

³O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands, ⁴if I have repaid my ally with harm or plundered my foe without cause, ⁵then let the enemy pursue and overtake me, trample my life to the ground, and lay my soul in the dust.

⁶Rise up, O Lord, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake, O my God; you have appointed a judgment. ⁷Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered around you, and over it take your seat on high. ⁸The Lord judges the peoples; judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.

⁹O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous, you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God. ¹⁰God is my shield, who saves the upright in heart. ¹¹God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day.

¹²If one does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and strung his bow; ¹³he has prepared his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts. ¹⁴See how they conceive evil, and are pregnant with mischief, and bring forth lies. ¹⁵They make a pit, digging it out, and fall into the hole that they have made. ¹⁶Their mischief returns upon their own heads, and on their own heads their violence descends.

¹⁷I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.

Psalm 9

¹I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. ²I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

³When my enemies turned back, they stumbled and perished before you. ⁴For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.

⁵You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. ⁶The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins; their cities you have rooted out; the very memory of them has perished.

⁷But the Lord sits enthroned forever, he has established his throne for judgment. ⁸He judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with equity.

⁹The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. ¹⁰And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

¹¹Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion. Declare his deeds among the peoples. ¹²For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

¹³Be gracious to me, O Lord. See what I suffer from those who hate me; you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death, ¹⁴so that I may recount all your praises, and, in the gates of daughter Zion, rejoice in your deliverance.

¹⁵The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught. ¹⁶The Lord has made himself known, he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.

¹⁷The wicked shall depart to Sheol, all the nations that forget God. ¹⁸For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.

¹⁹Rise up, O Lord! Do not let mortals prevail; let the nations be judged before you. ²⁰Put them in fear, O Lord; let the nations know that they are only human.

Psalm 10

¹Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? ²In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor— let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.

³For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart, those greedy for gain curse and renounce the Lord. ⁴In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, “God will not seek it out”; all their thoughts are, “There is no God.”

⁵Their ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of their sight; as for their foes, they scoff at them. ⁶They think in their heart, “We shall not be moved; throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity.”

⁷Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under their tongues are mischief and iniquity. ⁸They sit in ambush in the villages; in hiding places they murder the innocent.

Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless; ⁹they lurk in secret like a lion in its covert; they lurk that they may seize the poor; they seize the poor and drag them off in their net.

¹⁰They stoop, they crouch, and the helpless fall by their might. ¹¹They think in their heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”

¹²Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand; do not forget the oppressed. ¹³Why do the wicked renounce God, and say in their hearts, “You will not call us to account”?

¹⁴But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief, that you may take it into your hands; the helpless commit themselves to you; you have been the helper of the orphan.

¹⁵Break the arm of the wicked and evildoers; seek out their wickedness until you find none. ¹⁶The Lord is king forever and ever; the nations shall perish from his land.

¹⁷O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek; you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear ¹⁸to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed, so that those from earth may strike terror no more.

Psalm 35

¹Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! ²Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise up to help me! ³Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers; say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”

⁴Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life. Let them be turned back and confounded who devise evil against me. ⁵Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them on. ⁶Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.

⁷For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life. ⁸Let ruin come on them unawares. And let the net that they hid ensnare them; let them fall in it—to their ruin.

⁹Then my soul shall rejoice in the Lord, exulting in his deliverance. ¹⁰All my bones shall say, “O Lord, who is like you? You deliver the weak from those too strong for them, the weak and needy from those who despoil them.”

¹¹Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me about things I do not know. ¹²They repay me evil for good; my soul is forlorn. ¹³But as for me, when they were sick, I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting. I prayed with head bowed on my bosom, ¹⁴as though I grieved for a friend or a brother; I went about as one who laments for a mother, bowed down and in mourning.

¹⁵But at my stumbling they gathered in glee, they gathered together against me; ruffians whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing; ¹⁶they impiously mocked more and more, gnashing at me with their teeth.

¹⁷How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my life from the lions!

¹⁸Then I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.

¹⁹Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me, or those who hate me without cause wink the eye. ²⁰For they do not speak peace, but they conceive deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land. ²¹They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha, our eyes have seen it.”

²²You have seen, O Lord; do not be silent! O Lord, do not be far from me! ²³Wake up! Bestir yourself for my defense, for my cause, my God and my Lord! ²⁴Vindicate me, O Lord, my God, according to your righteousness, and do not let them rejoice over me. ²⁵Do not let them say to themselves, “Aha, we have our heart’s desire.” Do not let them say, “We have swallowed you up.”

²⁶Let all those who rejoice at my calamity be put to shame and confusion; let those who exalt themselves against me be clothed with shame and dishonor.

²⁷Let those who desire my vindication shout for joy and be glad, and say evermore, “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant.” ²⁸Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all day long.

Psalm 37

¹Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers, ²for they will soon fade like the grass, and wither like the green herb.

³Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. ⁴Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. ⁶He will make your vindication shine like the light, and the justice of your cause like the noonday.

⁷Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices.

⁸Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret—it leads only to evil. ⁹For the wicked shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

¹⁰Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there. ¹¹But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

¹²The wicked plot against the righteous, and gnash their teeth at them; ¹³but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that their day is coming.

¹⁴The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to kill those who walk uprightly; ¹⁵their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

¹⁶Better is a little that the righteous person has than the abundance of many wicked.

¹⁷For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.

¹⁸The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will abide forever; ¹⁹they are not put to shame in evil times, in the days of famine they have abundance.

²⁰But the wicked perish, and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

²¹The wicked borrow, and do not pay back, but the righteous are generous and keep giving; ²²for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

²³Our steps are made firm by the Lord, when he delights in our way; ²⁴though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand.

²⁵I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. ²⁶They are ever giving liberally and lending, and their children become a blessing.

²⁷Depart from evil, and do good; so you shall abide forever. ²⁸For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his faithful ones.

The righteous shall be kept safe forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. ²⁹The righteous shall inherit the land, and live in it forever.

³⁰The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak justice. ³¹The law of their God is in their hearts; their steps do not slip.

³²The wicked watch for the righteous, and seek to kill them. ³³The Lord will not abandon them to their power, or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.

³⁴Wait for the Lord, and keep to his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on the destruction of the wicked.

³⁵I have seen the wicked oppressing, and towering like a cedar of Lebanon. ³⁶Again I passed by, and they were no more; though I sought them, they could not be found.

³⁷Mark the blameless, and behold the upright, for there is posterity for the peaceable. ³⁸But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.

³⁹The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their refuge in the time of trouble. ⁴⁰The Lord helps them and rescues them; he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

Psalm 57

¹Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, until the destroying storms pass by. ²I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. ³He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to shame those who trample on me. God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.

⁴I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.

⁵Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.

⁶They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my path, but they have fallen into it themselves. ⁷My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody. ⁸Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn. ⁹I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. ¹⁰For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds.

¹¹Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.

Psalm 109

¹Do not be silent, O God of my praise. ²For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. ³They beset me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. ⁴In return for my love they accuse me, even while I make prayer for them. ⁵So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

⁶They say, “Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand on his right. ⁷When he is tried, let him be found guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin. ⁸May his days be few; may another seize his position. ⁹May his children be orphans, and his wife a widow. ¹⁰May his children wander about and beg; may they be driven out of the ruins they inhabit. ¹¹May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil. ¹²May there be no one to do him a kindness, nor anyone to pity his orphaned children. ¹³May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation. ¹⁴May the iniquity of his father be remembered before the Lord, and do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out. ¹⁵Let them be before the Lord continually, and may his memory be cut off from the earth. ¹⁶For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted to their death. ¹⁷He loved to curse; let curses come on him. He did not like blessing; may it be far from him. ¹⁸He clothed himself with cursing as his coat, may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones. ¹⁹May it be like a garment that he wraps around himself, like a belt that he wears every day.”

²⁰May that be the reward of my accusers from the Lord, of those who speak evil against my life. ²¹But you, O Lord my Lord, act on my behalf for your name’s sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me. ²²For I am poor and needy, and my heart is pierced within me. ²³I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust. ²⁴My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt. ²⁵I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.

²⁶Help me, O Lord my God! Save me according to your steadfast love. ²⁷Let them know that this is your hand; you, O Lord, have done it. ²⁸Let them curse, but you will bless. Let my assailants be put to shame; may your servant be glad. ²⁹May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a mantle. ³⁰With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise him in the midst of the throng. ³¹For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save them from those who would condemn them to death.

Psalm 115

¹Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness. ²Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”

³Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases. ⁴Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. ⁵They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. ⁶They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. ⁷They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; they make no sound in their throats. ⁸Those who make them are like them; so are all who trust in them.

⁹O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. ¹⁰O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. ¹¹You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield. ¹²The Lord has been mindful of us; he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron; ¹³he will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and great.

¹⁴May the Lord give you increase, both you and your children. ¹⁵May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

¹⁶The heavens are the Lord’s heavens, but the earth he has given to human beings. ¹⁷The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any that go down into silence. ¹⁸But we will bless the Lord from this time on and forevermore. Praise the Lord!

Psalm 140

¹Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers; protect me from those who are violent, ²who plan evil things in their minds and stir up wars continually. ³They make their tongue sharp as a snake’s, and under their lips is the venom of vipers.

⁴Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent who have planned my downfall. ⁵The arrogant have hidden a trap for me, and with cords they have spread a net, along the road they have set snares for me.

⁶I say to the Lord, “You are my God; give ear, O Lord, to the voice of my supplications.” ⁷O Lord, my Lord, my strong deliverer, you have covered my head in the day of battle. ⁸Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; do not further their evil plot.

⁹Those who surround me lift up their heads; let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them! ¹⁰Let burning coals fall on them! Let them be flung into pits, no more to rise! ¹¹Do not let the slanderer be established in the land; let evil speedily hunt down the violent!

¹²I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy, and executes justice for the poor. ¹³Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall live in your presence.

Psalm 141

¹I call upon you, O Lord; come quickly to me; give ear to my voice when I call to you. ²Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.

³Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. ⁴Do not turn my heart to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with those who work iniquity; do not let me eat of their delicacies.

⁵Let the righteous strike me; let the faithful correct me. Never let the oil of the wicked anoint my head, for my prayer is continually against their wicked deeds. ⁶When they are given over to those who shall condemn them, then they shall learn that my words were pleasant. ⁷Like a rock that one breaks apart and shatters on the land, so shall their bones be strewn at the mouth of Sheol.

⁸But my eyes are turned toward you, O God, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; do not leave me defenseless. ⁹Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me, and from the snares of evildoers. ¹⁰Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I alone escape.