Psalm 11–41

Confidence in Yahweh’s Righteousness

11For the music director. Of David.^a

¹In Yahweh I have taken refuge;

how can you say to my soul,

“Flee to your mountain like a bird”?

²For look: The wicked string the bow.^b

They have fitted their arrow to the string,

to shoot from the darkness

at the upright of heart.

³When the foundations are destroyed

what can the righteous do?^c

⁴Yahweh is in his holy temple;

Yahweh is in the heavens on his throne.

His eyelids see;

they test the children of humankind.

⁵Yahweh tests the righteous,

but the wicked and the lover of violence

his soul hates.

⁶He will rain coals^d on the wicked.

Burning sulfur and scorching wind

will be the portion of their cup.

⁷For Yahweh is righteous;

he loves righteous deeds.

The upright shall see his face.

Human Faithlessness and God’s Faithfulness

12For the music director; on the Sheminith.^a A psalm of David.^b

¹Save, O Yahweh, for the pious have ceased to be;

for the faithful have vanished

from among the children of humankind.

²They speak falseness to each other.^c

With flattering lips,

with a double heart^d they speak.

³May Yahweh cut off all flattering lips,

the tongue speaking great boasts—

⁴those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail.

Our lips are on our side.

Who is master over us?”

⁵“Because of the oppression of the afflicted,

because of the groaning of the poor,

now I will rise up,” Yahweh says.

“I shall put them in the safety for which they^e long.”

⁶The words of Yahweh are pure words

like silver refined in the crucible on the ground,

refined seven times.

⁷You, O Yahweh, will protect them.

You will preserve him^f

from this generation always.

⁸The wicked prowl about

when vileness is exalted among the children of humankind.

Trust in the Salvation of Yahweh

13For the music director. A psalm of David.^a

¹How long, O Yahweh? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

²How long must I take counsel^b in my soul,

and sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

³Consider^c and answer me, O Yahweh my God.

Give light to my eyes

lest I sleep the sleep of death,

⁴and lest my enemy should say, “I have overcome him,”

lest my enemies rejoice because I am shaken.

⁵But as for me, I have trusted in your steadfast love.^d

My heart will rejoice in your deliverance.

^6e I will sing to Yahweh

because he has dealt bountifully with me.

The Folly of the Godless and God’s Final Triumph

14For the music director. Of David.^a

¹The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

They are corrupt.

They do abominable deeds.

There is none who does good.

²Yahweh looks down from heaven upon the children of humankind

to see whether there is one who has insight,

one who cares about God.

³All have gone astray;

they are altogether corrupt.

There is not one who does good;

there is not even one.

⁴All who do evil—do they not know,

they who eat my people as though they were eating bread?

They do not call on Yahweh.

⁵There they are very fearful^b

because God is with the generation of the righteous.

⁶You would put to shame the plan of the poor,

because^c Yahweh is his refuge.

⁷Oh that from Zion^d would come salvation for Israel!

When Yahweh returns the fortunes of his people,

Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be happy.

A Description of Those Who May Dwell with Yahweh

15A psalm of David.^a

¹O Yahweh, who may reside in your tent?

Who may dwell on your holy mountain?

²He who walks blamelessly and does what is right.

He who speaks honestly in his heart.

³He does not slander with his tongue.

He does not harm his friend,

nor bring up^b a disgrace against his neighbor.

⁴In his eyes a rejected one is contemptible,

but he honors those who respect Yahweh.

He takes an oath to his own injury and does not retract it.

⁵He does not lend his money at interest,

and does not take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things

will never be shaken.

Confidence in Yahweh

16A miktam^a of David.^b

¹Protect me, O God,

for I take refuge in you.

²Oh my soul you have said^c to Yahweh, “You are my Lord.

I have no good apart from you.”

³With regard to the saints who are in the land,

they are the noble ones in whom is all my desire.

⁴Those who hurry after^d another god increase their sorrows.

I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood,

nor take up their names on my lips.

⁵Yahweh is the portion which is my share and my cup.

You hold my lot.

⁶The measuring lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.

Yes, my inheritance is delightful for me.

⁷I will bless Yahweh who advises me;

yes, at night my innermost being^e instructs me.

⁸I have set Yahweh before me always.

Because he is at my right hand I will not be shaken.

⁹Therefore my heart is glad and my glory^f rejoices.

Yes, my body will dwell in safety,

¹⁰for you will not abandon my soul to Sheol;

you will not give your faithful one to see the grave.

¹¹You will make known to me the path of life.

In your presence is fullness of joy.

At your right hand are pleasures forever.

Prayer for Vindication and Protection

17A prayer of David.^a

¹O Yahweh, hear a just cause.

Hear my cry; heed my prayer

I make without deceitful lips.

²Let my vindication come forth from you;

let your eyes see fairness.

³You have tried my heart;

you have examined me by night;

you have tested me; you found nothing.

I have decided that my mouth will not transgress.

⁴As for the works of humankind,

by the word of your lips,

I have kept from the ways of the violent.

⁵I have held my steps in your path

My feet will not slip.

⁶As for me, I have called on you

because you will answer me, O God.

Incline your ear to me.

Hear my words.^b

⁷Show wondrously your acts of loyal love,

O Savior of those who take refuge

at your right hand^c

from those who rise up against them.

⁸Keep me as the apple of your eye.^d

Hide me in the shadow of your wings

⁹from the presence^e of the wicked who destroy me,

those enemies against my life,

they that surround me.

¹⁰They have shut off their calloused^f heart;

with their mouth they speak arrogantly.

¹¹Now they surround us at our every step.

They intend^g

to pin^h me to the ground.

¹²He is likeⁱ a lion; he longs to tear apart,

and like a strong lion crouching in hiding places.

¹³Rise up, O Yahweh, confront him.^j

Make him bow down.

Rescue with your sword my life from the wicked,

¹⁴from men by your hand, O Yahweh, from men of this world.

Their share is in this life,^k and you fill their stomach with your treasure.

They are satisfied with children.

They bequeath their excess to their children.

¹⁵By contrast, I in righteousness shall see your face.

Upon awakening I will be satisfied seeing your form.

Praise to God for His Deliverance

18For the music director. Of David, the servant of Yahweh,

who spoke to Yahweh the words of this song

when^a Yahweh delivered him from the hand of all his enemies,

and from the hand of Saul.^b

¹And he said:

“I love you, O Yahweh, my strength.”

²Yahweh is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock in whom I have taken refuge,

my shield and the horn of my deliverance, my stronghold.

³I called upon Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised,

and I was saved from my enemies.

⁴The ropes of death encircled me,

and streams of ruin overwhelmed me.

⁵The ropes of Sheol surrounded me;

the snares of death confronted me.

⁶In my trouble I called on Yahweh,

and to my God I cried for help.

He heard my voice from his temple,

and my cry for help

came up before his presence into his ears.

⁷Then the earth shook and quaked,

and the foundations of the mountains trembled,

and they staggered because he was angry.

⁸Smoke went forth from his nose,

and fire from his mouth consumed.

Burning coals blazed from him.

⁹So he bowed the heavens and came down

with a thick cloud under his feet.

¹⁰And he mounted a cherub and flew,

and he swooped down on wings of wind.

¹¹He made darkness his hiding place;

all about him his covering

was a darkness of waters, thick clouds.^c

¹²From the brightness before him

his clouds passed over

with hail and coals of fire.

¹³And Yahweh thundered from the heavens,

and the Most High uttered his voice

with hail and coals of fire.

¹⁴And he shot his arrows and scattered them,^d

and many lightning bolts and routed them.

¹⁵Then the channels of the sea became visible,

and the foundations of the world were uncovered

by your rebuke, O Yahweh,

by the blast^e of the wind of your nose.

¹⁶He reached^f from on high; he seized me.

He drew me from many waters.

¹⁷He delivered me from my strong enemy,

and from those who hated me

because they were stronger than I.

¹⁸They confronted me on the day of disaster,

but Yahweh was my support.

¹⁹So he brought me out to a spacious place.

He delivered me because he delighted in me.

²⁰Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness;

According to the cleanness of my hands

he has repaid me.

²¹Because I have kept the ways of Yahweh,

and have not acted wickedly against my God,

²²because all his ordinances are before me,

and his statutes I have not removed from me,

²³and I was blameless before him,

and I kept myself from my guilt.

²⁴Therefore Yahweh has repaid me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

²⁵To the loyal you show yourself loyal.

To the blameless you show yourself blameless.

²⁶To the pure you show yourself pure.

but to the wicked you show yourself shrewd.

²⁷For you deliver humble people,

but haughty eyes you humiliate.

²⁸For you light my lamp;

Yahweh, my God, lights up my darkness.

²⁹For with you I can charge a troop,

and with my God I can scale a wall.

³⁰This^g God—his way is blameless.

The word of Yahweh is flawless.^h

He is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

³¹For who is God apart from Yahweh,

and who is a rock except our God?

³²The God who girded me with strength,

and made safeⁱ my way,

³³he made my feet like the deer’s,

and on my high places he makes me stand.

³⁴He trains my hands for war,

so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

³⁵You also gave me the…