Psalm 7–12

Psalm 7^a

A shiggaion^bc of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite.

¹Lord my God, I take refuge^d in you;

save and deliver me^e from all who pursue me,^f

²or they will tear me apart like a lion^g

and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue^h me.

³Lord my God, if I have done this

and there is guilt on my handsⁱ—

⁴if I have repaid my ally with evil

or without cause^j have robbed my foe—

⁵then let my enemy pursue and overtake^k me;

let him trample my life to the ground^l

and make me sleep in the dust.^cm

⁶Arise,ⁿ Lord, in your anger;

rise up against the rage of my enemies.^o

Awake,^p my God; decree justice.

⁷Let the assembled peoples gather around you,

while you sit enthroned over them on high.^q

⁸Let the Lord judge^r the peoples.

Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness,^s

according to my integrity,^t O Most High.^u

⁹Bring to an end the violence of the wicked

and make the righteous secure—^v

you, the righteous God^w

who probes minds and hearts.^x

¹⁰My shield^dy is God Most High,

who saves the upright in heart.^z

¹¹God is a righteous judge,^a

a God who displays his wrath^b every day.

¹²If he does not relent,^c

he^e will sharpen his sword;^d

he will bend and string his bow.^e

¹³He has prepared his deadly weapons;

he makes ready his flaming arrows.^f

¹⁴Whoever is pregnant with evil

conceives trouble and gives birth^g to disillusionment.

¹⁵Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out

falls into the pit^h they have made.ⁱ

¹⁶The trouble they cause recoils on them;

their violence comes down on their own heads.

¹⁷I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;^j

I will sing the praises^k of the name of the Lord Most High.^l

Psalm 8^a

For the director of music. According to gittith.^b A psalm of David.

¹Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name^m in all the earth!

You have set your gloryⁿ

in the heavens.^o

²Through the praise of children and infants

you have established a stronghold^p against your enemies,

to silence the foe^q and the avenger.

³When I consider your heavens,^r

the work of your fingers,^s

the moon and the stars,^t

which you have set in place,

⁴what is mankind that you are mindful of them,

human beings that you care for them?^cu

⁵You have made them^d a little lower than the angels^ev

and crowned them^f with glory and honor.^w

⁶You made them rulers^x over the works of your hands;^y

you put everything under their^g feet:^z

⁷all flocks and herds,^a

and the animals of the wild,^b

⁸the birds in the sky,

and the fish in the sea,^c

all that swim the paths of the seas.

⁹Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!^d

Psalm 9^a,^b

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A psalm of David.

¹I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;^e

I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.^f

²I will be glad and rejoice^g in you;

I will sing the praises^h of your name,ⁱ O Most High.

³My enemies turn back;

they stumble and perish before you.

⁴For you have upheld my right^j and my cause,^k

sitting enthroned^l as the righteous judge.^m

⁵You have rebuked the nationsⁿ and destroyed the wicked;

you have blotted out their name^o for ever and ever.

⁶Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,

you have uprooted their cities;^p

even the memory of them^q has perished.

⁷The Lord reigns forever;^r

he has established his throne^s for judgment.

⁸He rules the world in righteousness^t

and judges the peoples with equity.^u

⁹The Lord is a refuge^v for the oppressed,^w

a stronghold in times of trouble.^x

¹⁰Those who know your name^y trust in you,

for you, Lord, have never forsaken^z those who seek you.^a

¹¹Sing the praises^b of the Lord, enthroned in Zion;^c

proclaim among the nations^d what he has done.^e

¹²For he who avenges blood^f remembers;

he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.^g

¹³Lord, see how my enemies^h persecute me!

Have mercyⁱ and lift me up from the gates of death,^j

¹⁴that I may declare your praises^k

in the gates of Daughter Zion,^l

and there rejoice in your salvation.^m

¹⁵The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;ⁿ

their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.^o

¹⁶The Lord is known by his acts of justice;

the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.^cp

¹⁷The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,^q

all the nations that forget God.^r

¹⁸But God will never forget the needy;

the hope^s of the afflicted^t will never perish.

¹⁹Arise,^u Lord, do not let mortals triumph;^v

let the nations be judged^w in your presence.

²⁰Strike them with terror,^x Lord;

let the nations know they are only mortal.^y

Psalm 10^a

¹Why, Lord, do you stand far off?^z

Why do you hide yourself^a in times of trouble?

²In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,^b

who are caught in the schemes he devises.

³He boasts^c about the cravings of his heart;

he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.^d

⁴In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;

in all his thoughts there is no room for God.^e

⁵His ways are always prosperous;

your laws are rejected by^b him;

he sneers at all his enemies.

⁶He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”

He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”^f

⁷His mouth is full^g of lies and threats;^h

trouble and evil are under his tongue.ⁱ

⁸He lies in wait^j near the villages;

from ambush he murders the innocent.^k

His eyes watch in secret for his victims;

⁹like a lion in cover he lies in wait.

He lies in wait to catch the helpless;^l

he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.^m

¹⁰His victims are crushed,ⁿ they collapse;

they fall under his strength.

¹¹He says to himself, “God will never notice;^o

he covers his face and never sees.”^p

¹²Arise,^q Lord! Lift up your hand,^r O God.

Do not forget the helpless.^s

¹³Why does the wicked man revile God?^t

Why does he say to himself,

“He won’t call me to account”?^u

¹⁴But you, God, see the trouble^v of the afflicted;

you consider their grief and take it in hand.

The victims commit themselves to you;^w

you are the helper^x of the fatherless.

¹⁵Break the arm of the wicked man;^y

call the evildoer to account for his wickedness

that would not otherwise be found out.

¹⁶The Lord is King for ever and ever;^z

the nations^a will perish from his land.

¹⁷You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;^b

you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,^c

¹⁸defending the fatherless^d and the oppressed,^e

so that mere earthly mortals

will never again strike terror.

Psalm 11

For the director of music. Of David.

¹In the Lord I take refuge.^f

How then can you say to me:

“Flee^g like a bird to your mountain.^h

²For look, the wicked bend their bows;ⁱ

they set their arrows^j against the strings

to shoot from the shadows^k

at the upright in heart.^l

³When the foundations^m are being destroyed,

what can the righteous do?”

⁴The Lord is in his holy temple;ⁿ

the Lord is on his heavenly throne.^o

He observes everyone on earth;^p

his eyes examine^q them.

⁵The Lord examines the righteous,^r

but the wicked, those who love violence,

he hates with a passion.^s

⁶On the wicked he will rain

fiery coals and burning sulfur;^t

a scorching wind^u will be their lot.

⁷For the Lord is righteous,^v

he loves justice;^w

the upright^x will see his face.^y

Psalm 12^a

For the director of music. According to sheminith.^b A psalm of David.

¹Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore;^z

those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.

²Everyone lies^a to their neighbor;

they flatter with their lips

but harbor deception in their hearts.^b

³May the Lord silence all flattering lips^c

and every boastful tongue—^d

⁴those who say,

“By our tongues we will prevail;^e

our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”

⁵“Because the poor are plundered^f and the needy groan,^g

I will now arise,^h” says the Lord.

“I will protect themⁱ from those who malign them.”

⁶And the words of the Lord are flawless,^j

like silver purified^k in a crucible,^l

like gold^c refined seven times.

⁷You, Lord, will keep the needy safe^m

and will protect us forever from the wicked,ⁿ

⁸who freely strut^o about

when what is vile is honored by the human race.