Psalm 7–12

Psalm 7

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

^*Lord my God, I take refuge^b in you;

save and deliver me^c from all who pursue me,^d

or they will tear me apart like a lion^e

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

Lord my God, if I have done this

and there is guilt on my hands^g—

if I have repaid my ally with evil

or without cause^h have robbed my foe—

then let my enemy pursue and overtakeⁱ me;

let him trample my life to the ground^j

and make me sleep in the dust.^k

Arise,^l Lord, in your anger;

rise up against the rage of my enemies.^m

Awake,ⁿ my God; decree justice.

Let the assembled peoples gather around you,

while you sit enthroned over them on high.^o

Let the Lord judge^p the peoples.

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

according to my integrity,^r O Most High.^s

Bring to an end the violence of the wicked

and make the righteous secure—^t

you, the righteous God^u

who probes minds and hearts.^v

My shield^w is God Most High,

who saves the upright in heart.^x

God is a righteous judge,^y

a God who displays his wrath^z every day.

If he does not relent,^a

he will sharpen his sword;^b

he will bend and string his bow.^c

He has prepared his deadly weapons;

he makes ready his flaming arrows.^d

Those who are pregnant with evil

conceive trouble and give birth^e to disillusionment.

Those who dig a hole and scoop it out

fall into the pit^f they have made.^g

The trouble they cause recoils on them;

their violence comes down on their own heads.

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

I will sing the praisesⁱ of the name of the Lord Most High.^j

Psalm 8

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

^*Lord, our Lord,

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

You have set your glory^b

above the heavens.^c

Through the praise of children and infants

you have established a stronghold^d against your enemies,

to silence the foe^e and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens,^f

the work of your fingers,^g

the moon and the stars,^h

which you have set in place,

what are mere mortals that you are mindful of them,

human beings that you care for them?ⁱ

You have made them a little lower than the heavenly beings^j

and crowned them with glory and honor.^k

You made them rulers^l over the works of your hands;^m

you put everything under their feet:^no

all flocks and herds,^p

and the animals of the wild,^q

the birds in the sky,

and the fish in the sea,^r

all that swim the paths of the seas.

Lord, our Lord,

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

Psalm 9¹

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

^*I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;^a

I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.^b

I will be glad and rejoice^c in you;

I will sing the praises^d of your name,^e O Most High.

My enemies turn back;

they stumble and perish before you.

For you have upheld my right^f and my cause,^g

sitting enthroned^h as the righteous judge.ⁱ

You have rebuked the nations^j and destroyed the wicked;

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

Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,

you have uprooted their cities;^l

even the memory of them^m has perished.

The Lord reigns forever;ⁿ

he has established his throne^o for judgment.

He rules the world in righteousness^p

and judges the peoples with equity.^q

The Lord is a refuge^r for the oppressed,^s

a stronghold in times of trouble.^t

Those who know your name^u trust in you,

for you, Lord, have never forsaken^v those who seek you.^w

Sing the praises^x of the Lord, enthroned in Zion;^y

proclaim among the nations^z what he has done.^a

For he who avenges blood^b remembers;

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

Lord, see how my enemies^d persecute me!

Have mercy^e and lift me up from the gates of death,^f

that I may declare your praises^g

in the gates of Daughter Zion,^h

and there rejoice in your salvation.ⁱ

The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;^j

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

The Lord is known by his acts of justice;

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

The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,^m

all the nations that forget God.ⁿ

But God will never forget the needy;

the hope^o of the afflicted^p will never perish.

Arise,^q Lord, do not let mortals triumph;^r

let the nations be judged^s in your presence.

Strike them with terror,^t Lord;

let the nations know they are only mortals.^u

Psalm 10¹

Why, Lord, do you stand far off?^a

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

In their arrogance the wicked hunt down the weak,^c

catching them in the schemes they devise.

They boast^d about the cravings of their hearts;

they bless the greedy and revile the Lord.^e

In their pride the wicked do not seek him;

in all their thoughts there is no room for God.^f

Their ways are always prosperous;

your laws are rejected by them;

they sneer at all their enemies.

They say to themselves, “Nothing will ever shake us.”

They swear, “No one will ever do us harm.”^g

Their mouths are full^h of lies and threats;ⁱ

trouble and evil are under their tongues.^j

They lie in wait^k near the villages;

from ambush they murder the innocent.^l

Their eyes watch in secret for their victims;

like a lion in cover they lie in wait.

They lie in wait to catch the helpless;^m

they catch the helpless and drag them off in their nets.ⁿ

^⌈The innocent^⌈ are crushed,^o they collapse;

they fall victim to superior strength.

The wicked say to themselves, “God will never notice;^p

he covers his face and never sees.”^q

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

Do not forget the helpless.^t

Why do the wicked revile God?^u

Why do they say to themselves,

“He won’t call us to account”?^v

But you, God, see the trouble^w of the afflicted;

you consider their grief and take it in hand.

The victims commit themselves to you;^x

you are the helper^y of the fatherless.

Break the arms of the wicked and the evildoers;^z

call them to account for their wickedness

that would not otherwise be found out.

The Lord is King for ever and ever;^a

the nations^b will perish from his land.

You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;^c

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

defending the fatherless^e and the oppressed,^f

so that mere earthly mortals

will never again strike terror.

Psalm 11

For the director of music. Of David.

In the Lord I take refuge.^a

How then can you say to me:

“Flee^b like a bird to your mountain.^c

For look, the wicked bend their bows;^d

they set their arrows^e against the strings

to shoot from the shadows^f

at the upright in heart.^g

When the foundations^h are being destroyed,

what can the righteous do?”

The Lord is in his holy temple;ⁱ

the Lord is on his heavenly throne.^j

He observes everyone on earth;^k

his eyes examine^l them.

The Lord examines the righteous,^m

but the wicked, those who love violence,

he hates with a passion.ⁿ

On the wicked he will rain

fiery coals and burning sulfur;^o

a scorching wind^p will be their lot.

For the Lord is righteous,^q

he loves justice;^r

the upright^s will see his face.^t

Psalm 12

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

^*Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore;^a

those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.

Everyone lies^b to their neighbor;

they flatter with their lips

but harbor deception in their hearts.^c

May the Lord silence all flattering lips^d

and every boastful tongue—^e

those who say,

“By our tongues we will prevail;^f

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

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

I will now arise,ⁱ” says the Lord.

“I will protect them^j from those who malign them.”

And the words of the Lord are flawless,^k

like silver purified^l in a crucible,^m

like gold refined seven times.

You, Lord, will keep the needy safeⁿ

and will protect us forever from the wicked,^o

who freely strut^p about

while depravity is honored by the human race.