​O LORD, in your strength the king's glad and inspired,
and in your salvation he's greatly rejoiced.
You've given whatever his heart has desired,
withheld no request that his lips ever voiced.

You welcomed him back — with good things he's been blest;
you placed on his head a crown wrought of pure gold.
He asked you for life, and you heard his request — 
forever and ever his years are untold.

His glory is great through your vict'ries allowed;
such splendor and majesty you have bestowed!
With blessings forever has he been endowed;
your presence has filled him with joy overflowed.

Because the king trusts in the Almighty LORD,
the LORD's loving-kindness will keep him secure.
Your hand will lay hold of your enemy hoard;
your right hand will seize those who hate you for sure.​​

As if by a furnace, upon your return,
they'll all be destroyed in the blaze of your ire.
They'll all be engulfed in the LORD's wrath and burn,
consumed and devoured by his endless fire.

You'll make sure their children are gone from this world;
the lines from their children's descendants will fail.
Intending you harm with the plots they have hurled,
that cannot nor will not remotely prevail.

Therefore, you will cause them to turn and take flight
once they finally notice your bow has been raised.
Rise up, LORD Jehovah, because of your might;
we'll sing of your power and give you our praise.

​O LORD, in Your strength the king will be glad, And in Your salvation how greatly he will rejoice!
(20:1 - NASB)

You have given him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips.
(21:2 - ESV)

You welcomed him back with success and prosperity. You placed a crown of finest gold on his head.
(21:3 - NLT)

He asked you for life, and you gave it to him— length of days, for ever and ever.
(21:4 - NIV)

His glory is great through your salvation; splendor and majesty you bestow on him.
(21:5 - ESV)

You have endowed him with eternal blessings and given him the joy of your presence.
(21:6 - NLT)

The king trusts in the LORD Almighty; and because of the LORD’s constant love he will always be secure.
(21:7 - GNT)

Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes.
(21:8 - NIV)

When you appear for battle, you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace.
The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath, and his fire will consume them.
(21:9 - NIV)

You will wipe their children from the face of the earth; they will never have descendants.
(21:10 - NLT)

Although they plot against you, their evil schemes will never succeed.
(21:11 - NLT)

For they will turn and run when they see your arrows aimed at them.
(21:12 - NLT)

Rise up, LORD, because you are strong; we will sing and praise your power.
​(21:13 - ISV)

​NASB: New American Standard Bible   •   ESV: English Standard Version   •   NLT: New Living Translation   •   NIV: New International Version   •   Good News Translation   •   ISV: International Standard Version

​The thing that strikes me about this psalm is the repetitious use of the word, may, used at the beginning of lines in more than half of the verses. Then, depending on your translation, used one last time in the final line of the psalm.

Written three weeks ago, I was happy with it until I reviewed it again for this post where it received a major line change and a few more word tweaks. Now, it might be done.

​May the LORD give you answers when you're in distress;
may the God served by Jacob protect you as well.
May the help from his temple provide you redress,
and come to your rescue from my Holy Hill.

May your gifts be remembered and held in regard;
may he favor the balm from your offerings' fire.
May he grant you the hopes and the dreams of your heart,
may he bring to fruition the plans you desire.

May we sing now with joy for your struggles are done,​
in the name of our God, raise our banner and voice!
May the LORD answer all your requests, one by one!
Now I know that the LORD saves the king of his choice.

He will answer from his holy heaven above,
with the power and strength of his mighty right hand.
Some trust chariots, some — its their horses they love,
but we trust in the LORD, in whose name do we stand. 

​When the nations collapse and they fall to their knees,
we'll be strong and rise up and stand firm through it all.
LORD, deliver the king all his earned victories!
May you hear us and answer that day when we call.

​May the LORD answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
(20:1 - NIV)

May the LORD send help from his temple and come to your rescue from Mount Zion.
(20:2 - CEV)

May he remember all your gifts and look favorably on your burnt offerings.
(20:3 - NLT)

May he grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed.
(20:4 - NLT)

We will sing for joy over your victory, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.
(20:5 - NASB)

Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand.
(20:6 - ESV)

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
(20:7 - NIV)

Those nations will fall down and collapse, but we will rise up and stand firm.
(20:8 - NLT)

LORD, give victory to the king! May he answer us on the day that we call.
(20:9 - CSB)

​NIV: New International Version   •   CEV: Contemporary English Version   •   NLT: New Living Translation   •   NASB: New American Standard Bible   •   ESV: English Standard Version   •   CSB: Christian Standard Bible

​Like the familiarity of Psalm 23 or Psalm 100, this psalm was familiar to me as well — at least verses 7 thru 10, as I used to sing them as a kid. So, I was nervous as it crept closer to me having to deal with it.

It start off with typical 4-line stanzas, which went off the rails already after the second stanza. Verse 4 seemed to have an extra line thrown in. David introduces a line about the sun at the very end of verse 4, and continues to talk about it in verses 5 and 6.

​They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world.
God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.
Psalm 19:4-5

​​Because of this "extra" line, I decided to have extra lines in my poem as well to accommodate them, either to say something new or to emphasize a previous point.

​The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
(19:1 - ESV)

Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.
(19:2 - BSB)

Without speech or language, without a sound to be heard,
(19:3 - BSB)

Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.
(19:4 - NLT)

It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.
(19:5 - NLT)

The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat.
(19:6 - NLT)

The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
(19:7 - NASB)

The precepts of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart; the commandments of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
(19:8 - BSB)

The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true, being altogether righteous.
(19:9 - BSB)

They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.
(18:10 - NLT)

Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.
(19:11 - NKJV)

None of us know our faults. Forgive me when I sin without knowing it.
(19:12 - CEV)

Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
(19:13 - KJB)

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
(19:14 - NLT)

​ESV: English Standard Version   •   BSB: Berean Study Bible   •   NLT: New Living Translation   •   NASB: New American Standard Bible   •   NKJV: New King James Version   •   CEV: Contemporary English Version   •   KJB: King James Bible

​From the previous poem — Psalm 17 — to this one, about two weeks passed. The first week I did no writing at all. The second week, I wrote this. I was a little reluctant to even start because of its length of 50 verses. And, yes, I know there are two more psalms coming up that are even longer!

Due to its length, a few good lines were bound to be written.  And, I want to highlight a few of them — especially the third of these excerpts.

​From His temple He heard my voice,
and my cry for His help reached His ears.
Then the earth shook and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains trembled;
they were shaken because He burned with anger.
Psalm 18:6b-7

​He heard my lone voice from his heavenly temple;
he hears with his ears every cry that I make.
The earth moved and shuddered, the mountaintops tremble​​;
God's anger has caused their foundations to shake.

​He shot His arrows and scattered the foes;
He hurled lightning and routed them.
The channels of the sea appeared,
and the foundations of the world were exposed,
at Your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.
Psalm 18:14-15

​He sent forth his arrows, men ran in commotion;
they fled from his lightning bolts hurled through the air.
The blast of your breath, LORD, uncovered the ocean;
rebuked, the foundations of earth were laid bare.​​

​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.
For who is God besides the LORD?
And who is the Rock except our God?
Psalm 18:30-31

​​For God's way is blameless; the LORD's word, perfection.
He shields and protects those who give him their trust.
Indeed, who is God but the LORD in reflection?
And who is the Rock but our God who is just?

​These are the reasons I write: to be able to transform God's word into poetry. To take some consecutive lines of thought, originally written in Hebrew, translated to Greek, then eventually to the English language — to take those back-to-back verses and find a way to fit them into a fixed pattern of rhythm and rhyme for the glory of God.

​I love you, Jehovah, my strength and my power.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress afield;
my God, I seek refuge within your high tower,
protect me and save me, my buckler and shield.

I call on the LORD, who deserves my devotion;
so I, from my enemies' grip, will be saved.
Engulfed in the billows of death's endless ocean;
​the flood of the godless rolls over in waves.

​Entangled in cords of the grave that have tightened,
as death lays its snares as a trap in my way.
Distressed, I cry out to the LORD — I'm so frightened;
for God's intervention do I hope and pray.

He heard my lone voice from his heavenly temple;
he hears with his ears every cry that I make.
The earth moved and shuddered, the mountaintops tremble​​;
God's anger has caused their foundations to shake.

His nostrils blew smoke; from his mouth, fire consuming,
coals kindled and blazing and spewing their heat.
​He parted the heavens, and there, in the glooming,
descended with thick, dark clouds under his feet.

He mounted the back of a cherub, then riding
he glided and soared on the wings of the wind.
He shrouded himself in the darkness, in hiding;
dark waters and clouds veil his structure therein.

From brightness before him, his thick clouds surrounding,
come hailstones and coals that have been set aflame.
The LORD Most High thundered from heaven, resounding​
as hailstones and fiery coals poured down like rain.

He sent forth his arrows, men ran in commotion;
they fled from his lightning bolts hurled through the air.
The blast of your breath, LORD, uncovered the ocean;
rebuked, the foundations of earth were laid bare.​​

He reached down from heaven and gently withdrew me
from out of the depths of the deep rolling sea.
He saved me from powerful foes who pursue me;
the hateful and those who are stronger than me.

Attacked at a time I had nothing to hope in,
Jehovah protected me from every foe.
He led me to safety, a place in the open,
​he saved me because I delighted him so.

The LORD has rewarded my deeds as he's weighed them;
because of my innocence I am restored.
I've kept all the ways of the LORD and obeyed them;
I've not turned from God nor abandoned my LORD.

​For all of his rules and his judgments before me,
I've never abandoned his stated decrees.
I'm blameless before him of sin, uniformly;
I've guarded my heart with a life on my knees.

So I've been rewarded for godly deeds, solely,
the LORD knows my hands have been clean in his sight.
With those who are holy, you've shown yourself holy;
to people upright, shown yourself as upright.

​With those who are pure, shown yourself to be pure, then;
but those who are crooked you’ve shown yourself wise.
You rescue the humble, afflicted and poor men,
but bring down the haughty with pride in their eyes.

​LORD, you keep my candle lit, burning and dancing;
my God lights the dark so all gloom is unveiled.
In you I can crush any army advancing;
​with God, every wall that I leap can be scaled.

​For God's way is blameless; the LORD's word, perfection.
He shields and protects those who give him their trust.
Indeed, who is God but the LORD in reflection?
And who is the Rock but our God who is just?

The God who equipped me with strength and with power,
removes every hurdle and makes my way plain.
He makes me as swift as the deer in the flower,
sure-footed in mountains and rugged terrain.

For hand-to-hand combat, he's laid the foundation;
the strength of my arms bends the bronze bow I hold.
You've given me, LORD, your great shield of salvation;
your right hand supports me and makes me extolled.

You've broadened the pathway that my feet have stepped on,
I no longer trip on debris to avoid.
Pursuing my enemies, running, I kept on
and did not turn back until they were destroyed.

I crushed them completely, and put down the rabble;
they're fallen, lay desolate under my feet.
For you have equipped me with strength for the battle;
those rising against me you've thoroughly beat.

You've shown me their necks when they turned and retreated,
with those who have hated me sentenced to die.
They cried out for mercy, but none interceded;
they cried to the LORD, but he did not reply.

I've ground them to dust blown in windy conditions;
and into the gutter like dirt they were thrown.
You saved me from strife from the people's seditions;
made ​me lead a nation of people unknown.

As soon as they hear me, they kneel in submission;
the foreigners cower when they venture near.
The strangers lose heart when they see their position,
and leave from their fortifications in fear.

Oh, let the LORD live! To my Rock, I give glory!
​The God of salvation — exalted is he!
The God who avenges, the one fighting for me;
subduing the nations and peoples to me.

You lifted me over my foes' domination;
delivered me from the most violent of men.
For this, O LORD, I will praise you among nations,
and I will sing praises about your name, then.

Salvation he brings to his king and appointed,
great victories given from heaven ascend;
unfailing to show his love to his anointed,
to David and to his descendants no end.

​Normally, my poems contain four lines per verse. That's just the way I work. In this case, however, six lines per verse worked out nicely. Of course, there is the added challenge to come up with the additional rhymes. And, you need to have enough material to cover the additional length. You cannot have finished a six-line stanza only to find there is just one more verse in the chapter to cover. So, you need to pace yourself.

My last two posts were crammed with MANY Psalms and only snippets of most of them.  I was going to do the same with this post, as I have already completed Psalm 25 a couple of days ago, but decided to take a different approach.

For this post, I've accompanied my poem with the actual psalm, with the various verses from different translations from which the poem was written.

The problem I'll face with this posting method, is that not all of these poems have a story behind them.  Psalm 17 was written in 2 days, one day after my last post. And, it was written nearly a month ago. I didn't have any time to get to know it, before moving on to the next one. So, I don't remember too much about it.

Verse 14 was so long and the translations varied so greatly that I ultimately broke it down into the three parts of the three translations I worked with.

​​Oh hear, O LORD, my righteous plea,
and listen to my fervent cry.
Give ear unto my prayer and see,
it comes from lips that do not lie.
Let vindication come to me;
see truth and justice through your eye.

You've tried my heart, and probed each thought,
examined my heart in the night.
You've scrutinized me, finding naught;
I'll only speak what's pure and right.
Regarding men, your words have taught
me to avoid their violent fight.

My footsteps to your paths adhere;
my feet have neither slipped nor strayed.
I call on you, incline your ear;
God, listen to the prayer I've prayed.
Let your unfailing love appear,
and wonders of your hand displayed.

Save those who seek to utilize
the mighty refuge you provide.
Protect me as you would your eyes;
beneath your wings, LORD, let me hide
from all those seeking my demise,
and enemies on every side.

Their calloused hearts are closed with hate;
their arrogance and pride abound.
They track me down, surround and wait,
alert to throw me to the ground.
Like lions' prey, they mutilate;
their young ones stalk without a sound.

Arise, O LORD! Against them, stand,
and save me with your mighty sword
from wicked people by your hand
who view this world as their reward.
You fill their bellies' great demand
with hidden treasure you have stored.

You let their wombs be filled with grace
as many sons and daughters grew;
in death, their young resume the chase
to have their parent's wealth accrue.
For me, one day I'll see your face;
and I'll be satisfied in you.

​17:1 (BSB)
Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer--
it comes from lips free of deceit.

17:2 (BSB)
May my vindication come from Your presence; may Your eyes see what is right.

17:3 (NLT)
You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night. You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong. I am determined not to sin in what I say.

17:4 (ESV)
With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent.

17:5 (ESV)
My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped. 

17:6 (ESV)
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words.

17:7 (NLT)
Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways. By your mighty power you rescue those who seek refuge from their enemies.

17:8 (NLT)
Guard me as you would guard your own eyes. Hide me in the shadow of your wings.

17:9 (NIV)
from the wicked who are out to destroy me, from my mortal enemies who surround me.

17:10 (BSB)
They have closed their callous hearts; their mouths speak with arrogance.

17:11 (NIV)
They have tracked me down, they now surround me, with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.

17:12 (NLT)
They are like hungry lions, eager to tear me apart— like young lions hiding in ambush.

17:13 (NLT)
Arise, O LORD! Stand against them, and bring them to their knees! Rescue me from the wicked with your sword!

17:14a (NIV)
By your hand save me from such people, LORD, from those of this world whose reward is in this life.

17:14b (NKJV)
And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure.

17:14c (NLT)
May their children have plenty, leaving an inheritance for their descendants.

17:15 (BSB)
As for me, I will behold Your face in righteousness; when I awake, I will be satisfied in Your presence.

​BSB: Berean Study Bible   •   NLT: New Living Translation   •   ESV: English Standard Version   •   NIV: New International Version   •   NKJV: New King James Version