Psalm 7–8

A Prayer for Fairness

A shiggaion of David which he sang to the Lord about Cush, from the tribe of Benjamin.

7Lord my God, I trust in you for protection.

Save me and rescue me

from those who are chasing me.

²Otherwise, like a lion they will tear me apart.

They will rip me to pieces, and no one can save me.

³Lord my God, what have I done?

Have my hands done something wrong?

⁴Have I done wrong to my friend

or stolen without reason from my enemy?

⁵If I have, let my enemy chase me and capture me.

Let him trample me into the dust

and bury me in the ground.

Selah

⁶Lord, rise up in your anger;

stand up against my enemies’ anger.

Get up and demand fairness.

⁷Gather the nations around you

and rule them from above.

⁸Lord, judge the people.

Lord, defend me because I am right,

because I have done no wrong, God Most High.

⁹God, you do what is right.

You know our thoughts and feelings.

Stop those wicked actions done by evil people,

and help those who do what is right.

¹⁰God protects me like a shield;

he saves those whose hearts are right.

¹¹God judges by what is right,

and God is always ready to punish the wicked.

¹²If they do not change their lives,

God will sharpen his sword;

he will string his bow and take aim.

¹³He has prepared his deadly weapons;

he has made his flaming arrows.

¹⁴There are people who think up evil

and plan trouble and tell lies.

¹⁵They dig a hole to trap others,

but they will fall into it themselves.

¹⁶They will get themselves into trouble;

the violence they cause will hurt only themselves.

¹⁷I praise the Lord because he does what is right.

I sing praises to the Lord Most High.

The Lord’s Greatness

For the director of music. On the gittith. A psalm of David.

8Lord our Lord,

your name is the most wonderful name in all the earth!

It brings you praise in heaven above.

²You have taught children and babies

to sing praises to you

because of your enemies.

And so you silence your enemies

and destroy those who try to get even.

³I look at your heavens,

which you made with your fingers.

I see the moon and stars,

which you created.

⁴But why are people even important to you?

Why do you take care of human beings?

⁵You made them a little lower than the angels

and crowned them with glory and honor.

⁶You put them in charge of everything you made.

You put all things under their control:

⁷all the sheep, the cattle,

and the wild animals,

⁸the birds in the sky,

the fish in the sea,

and everything that lives under water.

⁹Lord our Lord,

your name is the most wonderful name in all the earth!