Psalm 11–16

PSALM 11

The Lord a Refuge and Defense.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

1 In the Lord I atake refuge;

How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your bmountain;

2 For, behold, the wicked abend the bow,

They 1bmake ready their arrow upon the string

To cshoot in darkness at the upright in heart.

3 If the afoundations are destroyed,

What can the righteous do?”

4 The Lord is in His aholy temple; the 1Lord’s bthrone is in heaven;

His ceyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.

5 The Lord atests the righteous and bthe wicked,

And the one who loves violence His soul hates.

6 Upon the wicked He will arain 1snares;

bFire and brimstone and cburning wind will be the portion of dtheir cup.

7 For the Lord is arighteous, bHe loves 1righteousness;

The upright will cbehold His face.

PSALM 12

God, a Helper against the Treacherous.

For the choir director; †upon an eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm of David.

1 Help, Lord, for athe godly man ceases to be,

For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.

2 They aspeak 1falsehood to one another;

With bflattering 2lips and with a double heart they speak.

3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,

The tongue that aspeaks great things;

4 Who ahave said, “With our tongue we will prevail;

Our lips are 1our own; who is lord over us?”

5 “Because of the adevastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy,

Now bI will arise,” says the Lord; “I will cset him in the safety for which he longs.”

6 The awords of the Lord are pure words;

As silver btried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.

7 You, O Lord, will keep them;

You will apreserve him from this generation forever.

8 The awicked strut about on every side

When 1bvileness is exalted among the sons of men.

PSALM 13

Prayer for Help in Trouble.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

1 How long, O Lord? Will You aforget me forever?

How long bwill You hide Your face from me?

2 How long shall I atake counsel in my soul,

Having bsorrow in my heart all the day?

How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

3 aConsider and answer me, O Lord my God;

bEnlighten my eyes, or I will csleep the sleep of death,

4 And my enemy will asay, “I have overcome him,”

And bmy adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.

5 But I have atrusted in Your lovingkindness;

My heart shall brejoice in Your salvation.

6 I will asing to the Lord,

Because He has bdealt bountifully with me.

PSALM 14

Folly and Wickedness of Men.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

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

They are corrupt, they have committed abominable 1deeds;

There is bno one who does good.

2 The Lord has alooked down from heaven upon the sons of men

To see if there are any who 1bunderstand,

Who cseek after God.

3 They have all aturned aside, together they have become corrupt;

There is bno one who does good, not even one.

4 Do all the workers of wickedness anot know,

Who beat up my people as they eat bread,

And cdo not call upon the Lord?

5 There they are in great dread,

For God is with the arighteous generation.

6 You would put to shame the counsel of the afflicted,

But the Lord is his arefuge.

7 Oh, that athe salvation of Israel 1would come out of Zion!

When the Lord 2brestores His captive people,

Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad.

PSALM 15

Description of a Citizen of Zion.

A Psalm of David.

1 O Lord, who may 1abide ain Your tent?

Who may dwell on Your bholy hill?

2 He who awalks with integrity, and works righteousness,

And bspeaks truth in his heart.

3 He adoes not slander 1with his tongue,

Nor bdoes evil to his neighbor,

Nor ctakes up a reproach against his friend;

4 In 1whose eyes a reprobate is despised,

But 2who ahonors those who fear the Lord;

He bswears to his own hurt and does not change;

5 He adoes not put out his money 1at interest,

Nor bdoes he take a bribe against the innocent.

cHe who does these things will never be shaken.

PSALM 16

The Lord the Psalmist’s Portion in Life and Deliverer in Death.

A †Mikhtam of David.

1 aPreserve me, O God, for bI take refuge in You.

2 1I said to the Lord, “You are 2my Lord;

I ahave no good besides You.”

3 As for the 1asaints who are in the earth,

2They are the majestic ones bin whom is all my delight.

4 The 1asorrows of those who have 2bartered for another god will be multiplied;

I shall not pour out their drink offerings of bblood,

Nor will I ctake their names upon my lips.

5 The Lord is the aportion of my inheritance and my bcup;

You support my clot.

6 The alines have fallen to me in pleasant places;

Indeed, my heritage is bbeautiful to me.

7 I will bless the Lord who has acounseled me;

Indeed, my 1bmind instructs me in the night.

8 aI have bset the Lord continually before me;

Because He is cat my right hand, dI will not be shaken.

9 Therefore amy heart is glad and bmy glory rejoices;

My flesh also will cdwell securely.

10 For You awill not abandon my soul to 1Sheol;

Nor will You 2ballow Your 3Holy One to 4undergo decay.

11 You will make known to me athe path of life;

In bYour presence is fullness of joy;

In Your right hand there are cpleasures forever.