Psalm 41

Psalm 41

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

​How blest is the one who is kind to the poor!
Jehovah will save him in his time of woe.
The LORD will protect him and keep him secure;
on earth he will prosper and all men will know.
The LORD will not let him fall to the impure;
nor will he succumb to the will of his foe.

The LORD will sustain him when he's sick in bed,
restore him to healthiness he never knew.
Be gracious to me, LORD, and heal me, I pled,
for I, once again, have transgressed against you.
With evil and malice my enemies said,
how soon will he die and his name perish, too?

The wicked will visit and act as my friend,
​​yet speak with me falsely and gather each word;
the first thing he does when he goes 'round the bend,
is tell everyone everything he has heard.
They whisper their hatred of me — in the end,
devising their worst plans of harm, they conferred:

​A fatal disease has him lying in bed;
he'll never be able to leave his front door.
And even my close friends with whom I've shared bread,
have turned and betrayed me like those I abhor.
O LORD, give me grace, raise me up in your stead,
that I may repay them with justice once more.

By this do I know I am favored these days:
my enemies are not victorious men.
Preserving my life for my virtuous ways,
I'm placed in your presence for time without end.
The LORD, God of Israel, all blessings and praise
forever and ever!  Amen and Amen.

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I've known about the Psalms being broken into five different books for most of my life, when I turned a few of the Psalms into my version of poetry as a kid.  But, never did I know, until this week, that the final verse (or so) of the last Psalm in each book was a doxology.  And, in the case of Psalm 150, the entire chapter of six verses was a doxology.

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Praise the LORD, the God of Israel,
who lives from everlasting to everlasting.
​Amen and amen!
Psalm 41:13  (final verse of Book 1)

Praise the LORD God, the God of Israel,
who alone does such wonderful things.
Praise his glorious name forever!
Let the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and amen!
(This ends the prayers of David son of Jesse.)
Psalm 72:18-20  (final verses of Book 2)

Praise the LORD forever!
Amen and amen!
Psalm 89:52 (final verse of Book 3)

Praise the LORD, the God of Israel,
who lives from everlasting to everlasting!
Let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 106:48  (final verses of Book 4)

Praise the LORD!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heaven!
Praise him for his mighty works;
praise his unequaled greatness!
Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn;
praise him with the lyre and harp!
Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;
praise him with strings and flutes!
Praise him with a clash of cymbals;
praise him with loud clanging cymbals.
Let everything that breathes sing praises to the LORD!
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 150  (final verses of Book 5)