Daily Tehillim: Day 2

Prayer before Tehillim on a Weekday

May it be the will before You, Hashem, our G-d, and the G-d of our forefathers, Who chose David His servant and his offspring after him, and Who chose songs and praises - that you attend with mercy to the recitation of psalms that I shall merit and consider it as if they were recited by King David, of blessed memory, himself, may his merit be a shield over us. And stand in our favor may the merit of the verses of the psalms together with the merit of their words and their letters and their vowels and their cantilations, and together with the Holy Names that are formed from them, from the initial (letters) of the words and from the final (letters) of the words - may their merit serve to bring atonement for our transgressions, iniquities, and sins, and to cut down ruthless men, and slash away all the thorns and briars which surround the Rose, Celestial; and to unite the Bride of Youth with her Beloved in love, brotherhood, and companionship. And from that (unification) may be drawn to us an abundant blessing to our spirit, breath and soul, to purify us of our iniquities, to forgive our sins and to atone for our transgressions, just as You forgave David who recited these very same psalms before You - as it is said: Hashem also has forgiven your sin, you shall not die. May you not take us from This World before our time, until the completion of our years, (among them are seventy years,) in a manner that we be able to rectify anything that we have ruined. May the merit of King David, of blessed memory, shield over us and for us; that You may be patient (with us), (and wait) until we return to You in repentance that is complete before You. From your treasury of grace that is undeserved, be gracious to us - as it is written: I am Compassionate to those whom I favor, and I am Merciful to those upon whom I have mercy. And just as we recite before You a song in This World, so let us merit to recite before You - O Hashem, our G-d - songs and praises in the World to Come. And through the recitation of the psalms arouse the Rose of Sharon to sing with a voice that is pleasant, with ecstasy and joy. May the glory of the Levanon be given to her, majesty and splendor in the House of our G-d, speedily in our days. Amein. Selah!

Before Saying Tehillim it is customary to say these Three Verses

Come! Let us sing joyfully to Hashem, let us call out to the Rock of our Salvation,
Let us greet Him with thanksgiving, with praiseful songs let us call out to Him.
For a great G-d is Hashem, and a great King above all heavenly powers.

1. Why do you stand so far away, O Lord? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2. The wicked in his arrogance persecutes the poor; let them be taken in the schemes which they have devised.
3. For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire, and the man greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord.
4. The wicked, through the arrogance of his countenance, thinks, He will not seek out; all his thoughts are, There is no God.
5. His ways are always strong; your judgments are far above, out of his sight; as for all his enemies, he hisses at them.
6. He has said in his heart, I shall not be moved; for I shall never be in adversity.
7. His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud; under his tongue is mischief and vanity.
8. He sits in the lurking places of the villages; in the secret places he murders the innocent; his eyes stealthily watch for the helpless.
9. He lies in wait secretly, like a lion in his den; he lies in wait to catch the poor; he catches the poor, when he draws him into his net.
10. The helpless collapse; they bow down, and fall into his power.
11. He says in his heart, God has forgotten; he hides his face; he will never see it.
12. Arise, O Lord! O God, lift up your hand; do not forget the humble.
13. Why does the wicked man renounce God? He has said in his heart, You will not avenge.
14. You have seen it; for you behold mischief and spite, to requite it with your hand; the helpless man commits himself to you; you are the helper of the orphan.
15. Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; seek out his wickedness till you find none left.
16. The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations have perished from his land.
17. Lord, you have heard the desire of the humble; you will strengthen their heart, you will cause your ear to hear;
18. To judge the orphan and the oppressed, so that none shall any longer terrify innocent men from the earth.

1. To the chief Musician of David. In the Lord I put my trust; how can you say to my soul, Flee like a bird to your mountain?
2. For, behold, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow on the string, that they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
3. If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?
4. The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven; his eyes behold, his eyelids test the children of men.
5. The Lord tests the righteous; but his soul hates the wicked and he who loves violence.
6. Upon the wicked he shall rain coals, fire and brimstone, and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
7. For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteousness; the upright shall behold his face.

1. To the chief Musician, according to the Sheminith, A Psalm of David.
2. Help Lord, for the pious man ceases; for the faithful vanish from among the children of men.
3. They speak vanity every one with his neighbor; with flattering lips and with a double heart they speak.
4. The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks arrogant things;
5. Who have said, With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?
6. For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, said the Lord; I will set him in safety at whom they hiss.
7. The words of the Lord are pure words; like silver refined in a furnace upon the ground, purified seven times.
8. You shall keep them, O Lord, you shall preserve them from this generation forever.
9. The wicked walk on every side, when vileness is exalted among the son of men.

1. To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
2. How long will you forget me, O Lord? For ever? How long will you hide your face from me?
3. How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
4. Look and answer me, O Lord my God; lighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
5. Lest my enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
6. But I have trusted in your loving kindness; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

1. To the chief Musician of David. The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable deeds, there is none that does good.
2. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any who understand, and seek God.
3. They have all gone astray, they have all become corrupted; there is none that does good, no, not one.
4. Do all the evil doers have no knowledge? Who eat up my people like they eat bread, and call not on the Lord.
5. They were in great fear; for God is in the generation of the righteous.
6. You shame the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge.
7. Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord shall bring back the exile of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

1. A Psalm of David. Lord, who shall abide in your tent? Who shall dwell in your holy mountain?
2. He who walks uprightly, and does what is right, and speaks the truth in his heart.
3. He who does not slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor.
4. In whose eyes a vile person is despised; but he honors those who fear the Lord. He who swears to his own hurt, and does not change.
5. He who does not put out his money at interest, nor takes a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

1. A Miktam of David. Preserve me, O God; for in you I put my trust.
2. I have said to the Lord, You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you;
3. As for the holy ones who are in the earth, they are the excellent, in whom is all my delight.
4. And for those who choose another god, their sorrows shall be multiplied; their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, nor take up their names upon my lips.
5. The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup; you maintain my lot.
6. The lines are fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage.
7. I will bless the Lord, who has given me counsel; my insides also instruct me in the night seasons.
8. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.
10. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol; nor will you suffer your pious one to see the pit.
11. You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

1. A prayer of David. Hear the right, O Lord, attend to my cry, give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit.
2. Let my sentence come forth from your presence; let your eyes behold the right.
3. You have tested my heart; you have visited me in the night; you have tested me, and found nothing; let my mouth not transgress.
4. Concerning the works of men, by the word of your lips I have kept away from the paths of the violent.
5. My steps have held fast to your paths, my feet have not slipped.
6. I have called upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me, and hear my speech.
7. Show your marvelous loving kindness, O you who save from their enemies, by your right hand, those who seek refuge.
8. Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of your wings,
9. From the wicked who oppress me, from my deadly enemies who surround me.
10. They are enclosed in their own fat; with their mouth they speak arrogantly.
11. They dog our steps; they surround us; they have set their eyes to tread us down to the earth;
12. He is like a lion that is greedy for its prey, and like a young lion lurking in secret places.
13. Arise, O Lord, confront him, cast him down; save my soul from the wicked, by your sword;
14. From men, by your hand, O Lord, from men whose portion in life is of the world, and whose belly you fill with your treasure; who have many children, and who leave their abundance to their babes.
15. As for me, I will behold your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with beholding your likeness.

May it be the will before You, Hashem, our G-d, and the G-d of our forefathers, Who chose David His servant and his offspring after him, and Who chose songs and praises - that you attend with mercy to the recitation of psalms that I shall merit and consider it as if they were recited by King David, of blessed memory, himself, may his merit be a shield over us. And stand in our favor may the merit of the verses of the psalms together with the merit of their words and their letters and their vowels and their cantilations, and together with the Holy Names that are formed from them, from the initial (letters) of the words and from the final (letters) of the words - may their merit serve to bring atonement for our transgressions, iniquities, and sins, and to cut down ruthless men, and slash away all the thorns and briars which surround the Rose, Celestial; and to unite the Bride of Youth with her Beloved in love, brotherhood, and companionship. And from that (unification) may be drawn to us an abundant blessing to our spirit, breath and soul, to purify us of our iniquities, to forgive our sins and to atone for our transgressions, just as You forgave David who recited these very same psalms before You - as it is said: Hashem also has forgiven your sin, you shall not die. May you not take us from This World before our time, until the completion of our years, (among them are seventy years,) in a manner that we be able to rectify anything that we have ruined. May the merit of King David, of blessed memory, shield over us and for us; that You may be patient (with us), (and wait) until we return to You in repentance that is complete before You. From your treasury of grace that is undeserved, be gracious to us - as it is written: I am Compassionate to those whom I favor, and I am Merciful to those upon whom I have mercy. And just as we recite before You a song in This World, so let us merit to recite before You - O Hashem, our G-d - songs and praises in the World to Come. And through the recitation of the psalms arouse the Rose of Sharon to sing with a voice that is pleasant, with ecstasy and joy. May the glory of the Levanon be given to her, majesty and splendor in the House of our G-d, speedily in our days. Amein. Selah! Come! Let us sing joyfully to Hashem, let us call out to the Rock of our Salvation, Let us greet Him with thanksgiving, with praiseful songs let us call out to Him. For a great G-d is Hashem, and a great King above all heavenly powers.