Psalm 13-16

Amplified Bible

Prayer for Help in Trouble.

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

13 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
²
How long must I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart day after day?
How long will my enemy exalt himself and triumph over me?

³
Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
Give light (life) to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
⁴
And my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.

⁵
But I have trusted and relied on and been confident in Your lovingkindness and faithfulness;
My heart shall rejoice and delight in Your salvation.
⁶
I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

Folly and Wickedness of Men.

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

14 The [spiritually ignorant] fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they have committed repulsive and unspeakable deeds;
There is no one who does good.^(A)
²
The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the children of men
To see if there are any who understand (act wisely),
Who [truly] seek after God, [longing for His wisdom and guidance].
³
They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt;
There is no one who does good, not even one.^(B)

⁴
Have all the workers of wickedness and injustice no knowledge,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And do not call upon the Lord?
⁵
There they tremble with great fear,
For God is with the [consistently] righteous generation.
⁶
You [evildoers] shamefully plan against the poor,
But the Lord is his safe refuge.

⁷
Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord restores His captive people,
Then Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad.^(C)

Description of a Citizen of Zion.

A Psalm of David.

15 O Lord, who may lodge [as a guest] in Your tent?
Who may dwell [continually] on Your holy hill?
²
He who walks with integrity and strength of character, and works righteousness,
And speaks and holds truth in his heart.
³
He does not slander with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
Nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
⁴
In his eyes an evil person is despised,
But he honors those who fear the Lord [and obediently worship Him with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder].
He keeps his word even to his own disadvantage and does not change it [for his own benefit];
⁵
He does not put out his money at interest [to a fellow Israelite],
And does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things will never be shaken.^(D)

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

A ^[a]Mikhtam of David [probably intended to record memorable thoughts].

16 Keep and protect me, O God, for in You I have placed my trust and found refuge.
²
I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good besides You.”
³
As for the saints (godly people) who are in the land,
They are the majestic and the noble and the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.
⁴
The sorrows [pain and suffering] of those who have chosen another god will be multiplied [because of their idolatry];
I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
Nor will I take their names upon my lips.

⁵
The Lord is the portion of my inheritance, my cup [He is all I need];
You support my lot.
⁶
The [boundary] lines [of the land] have fallen for me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.

⁷
I will bless the Lord who has counseled me;
Indeed, my heart (mind) instructs me in the night.
⁸
I have set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
⁹
Therefore my heart is glad and my glory [my innermost self] rejoices;
My body too will dwell [confidently] in safety,
¹⁰
For You will not abandon me to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead),
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.^(E)
¹¹
You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.^(F)