The Lord Is My Strength and My Shield

Of David.

28 To you, O Lord, I call;
    (A)my rock, be not deaf to me,
lest, if you (B)be silent to me,
    I become like those who (C)go down to the pit.
(D)Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy,
    when I cry to you for help,
when I (E)lift up my hands
    (F)toward your most holy sanctuary.[a]

Do not (G)drag me off with the wicked,
    with the workers of evil,
(H)who speak peace with their neighbors
    while evil is in their hearts.
(I)Give to them according to their work
    and according to the evil of their deeds;
give to them according to the work of their hands;
    (J)render them their due reward.
Because they (K)do not regard the works of the Lord
    or the work of his hands,
he will tear them down and build them up no more.

Blessed be the Lord!
    For he has (L)heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and (M)my shield;
    in him my heart (N)trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
    and with my (O)song I give thanks to him.

The Lord is the strength of his people;[b]
    he is (P)the saving refuge of his anointed.
Oh, save your people and bless (Q)your heritage!
    (R)Be their shepherd and (S)carry them forever.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 28:2 Hebrew your innermost sanctuary
  2. Psalm 28:8 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts is their strength

Psalm 28

Of David.

To you, Lord, I call;
    you are my Rock,
    do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you remain silent,
    I shall be like those who go down to the pit.
Hear my cry for mercy
    as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands
    towards your Most Holy Place.

Do not drag me away with the wicked,
    with those who do evil,
who speak cordially with their neighbours
    but harbour malice in their hearts.
Repay them for their deeds
    and for their evil work;
repay them for what their hands have done
    and bring back on them what they deserve.

Because they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord
    and what his hands have done,
he will tear them down
    and never build them up again.

Praise be to the Lord,
    for he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
    my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
    and with my song I praise him.

The Lord is the strength of his people,
    a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
Save your people and bless your inheritance;
    be their shepherd and carry them for ever.

A prayer for help, and praise for its answer.

A Psalm of David.

28 Unto thee, O Jehovah, will I call:
My rock, be not thou deaf unto me;
Lest, if thou be silent unto me,
I become like them that go down into the pit.
Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee,
When I lift up my hands [a]toward thy holy oracle.
Draw me not away with the wicked,
And with the workers of iniquity;
That speak peace with their neighbors,
But mischief is in their hearts.
Give them according to their work, and according to the wickedness of their doings:
Give them after the operation of their hands;
Render to them their desert.
Because they regard not the works of Jehovah,
Nor the operation of his hands,
He will break them down and not build them up.

Blessed be Jehovah,
Because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.
Jehovah is my strength and my shield;
My heart hath trusted in him, and I am helped:
Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth;
And with my song will I praise him.
Jehovah is their strength,
And he is a stronghold of salvation to his anointed.
Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance:
Be their shepherd also, and bear them up for ever.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 28:2 Or, toward the innermost place of thy sanctuary