Psalm 7-18

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

³ O Lord my God, if I have done this,
    if there is wrong in my hands,^(C)
4 if I have repaid my ally with harm
    or plundered my foe without cause,^(D)
5 then let the enemy pursue and overtake me,
    trample my life to the ground,
    and lay my soul in the dust. Selah

⁶ Rise up, O Lord, in your anger;
    lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;
    awake, O my God;^[a] you have appointed a judgment.^(E)
7 Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered around you,
    and over it take your seat^[b] on high.^(F)
8 The Lord judges the peoples;
    judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness
    and according to the integrity that is in me.^(G)

⁹ O let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
    but establish the righteous,
you who test the minds and hearts,
    O righteous God.^(H)
10 God is my shield,
    who saves the upright in heart.^(I)
11 God is a righteous judge
    and a God who has indignation every day.^(J)

¹² If one does not repent, God^[c] will whet his sword;
    he has bent and strung his bow;^(K)
13 he has prepared his deadly weapons,
    making his arrows fiery shafts.^(L)
14 See how they conceive evil
    and are pregnant with mischief
    and bring forth lies.^(M)
15 They make a pit, digging it out,
    and fall into the hole that they have made.^(N)
16 Their mischief returns upon their own heads,
    and on their own heads their violence descends.^(O)

¹⁷ I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness
    and sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.^(P)

You have set your glory above the heavens.^(Q)
2     Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
    to silence the enemy and the avenger.^(R)

³ When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars that you have established;^(S)
4 what are humans that you are mindful of them,
    mortals^[d] that you care for them?^(T)

⁵ Yet you have made them a little lower than God^[e]
    and crowned them with glory and honor.^(U)
6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under their feet,^(V)
7 all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
⁸ the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

⁹ O Lord, our Sovereign,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!^(W)

³ When my enemies turned back,
    they stumbled and perished before you.^(Z)
4 For you have maintained my just cause;
    you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.^(AA)

⁵ You have rebuked the nations; you have destroyed the wicked;
    you have blotted out their name forever and ever.^(AB)
6 The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins;
    their cities you have rooted out;
    the very memory of them has perished.^(AC)

⁷ But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
    he has established his throne for judgment.^(AD)
8 He judges the world with righteousness;
    he judges the peoples with equity.^(AE)

⁹ The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
    a stronghold in times of trouble.^(AF)
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you,
    for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.^(AG)

¹¹ Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion.
    Declare his deeds among the peoples.^(AH)
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
    he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.^(AI)

¹³ Be gracious to me, O Lord.
    See what I suffer from those who hate me;
    you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,^(AJ)
14 so that I may recount all your praises
    and, in the gates of daughter Zion,
    rejoice in your deliverance.^(AK)

¹⁵ The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
    in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.^(AL)
16 The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment;
    the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah^(AM)

¹⁷ The wicked shall depart to Sheol,
    all the nations that forget God.^(AN)

¹⁸ For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
    nor the hope of the poor perish forever.^(AO)

¹⁹ Rise up, O Lord! Do not let mortals prevail;
    let the nations be judged before you.^(AP)
20 Put them in fear, O Lord;
    let the nations know that they are only human. Selah^(AQ)

³ For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart;
    those greedy for gain curse and renounce the Lord.^(AS)
4 In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, “God will not seek it out”;
    all their thoughts are, “There is no God.”^(AT)

⁵ Their ways prosper at all times;
    your judgments are on high, out of their sight;
    as for their foes, they scoff at them.
⁶ They think in their heart, “We shall not be moved;
    throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity.”^(AU)

⁷ Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
    under their tongues are mischief and iniquity.^(AV)
8 They sit in ambush in the villages;
    in hiding places they murder the innocent.

Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;^(AW)
9     they lurk in secret like a lion in its den;
they lurk that they may seize the poor;
    they seize the poor and drag them off in their net.^(AX)

¹⁰ They stoop, they crouch,
    and the helpless fall by their might.
¹¹ They think in their heart, “God has forgotten;
    he has hidden his face; he will never see it.”^(AY)

¹² Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
    do not forget the oppressed.^(AZ)
13 Why do the wicked renounce God
    and say in their hearts, “You will not call us to account”?

¹⁴ But you do see! Indeed, you note trouble and grief,
    that you may take it into your hands;
the helpless commit themselves to you;
    you have been the helper of the orphan.^(BA)

¹⁵ Break the arm of the wicked and evildoers;
    seek out their wickedness until you find none.^(BB)
16 The Lord is king forever and ever;
    the nations shall perish from his land.^(BC)

¹⁷ O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek;
    you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear^(BD)
18 to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed,
    so that those from earth may strike terror no more.^[h](BE)

⁴ The Lord is in his holy temple;
    the Lord’s throne is in heaven.
    His eyes behold; his gaze examines humankind.^(BI)
5 The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked,
    and his soul hates the lover of violence.^(BJ)
6 On the wicked he will rain coals of fire and sulfur;
    a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.^(BK)
7 For the Lord is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
    the upright shall behold his face.^(BL)

³ May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
    the tongue that makes great boasts,^(BO)
4 those who say, “With our tongues we will prevail;
    our lips are our own—who is our master?”

⁵ “Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan,
    I will now rise up,” says the Lord;
    “I will place them in the safety for which they long.”^(BP)
6 The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure,
    silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
    purified seven times.^(BQ)

⁷ You, O Lord, will protect us;
    you will guard us from this generation forever.^(BR)
8 On every side the wicked prowl,
    as vileness is exalted among humankind.^(BS)

³ Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!
    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,^(BV)
4 and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”;
    my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.^(BW)

⁵ But I trusted in your steadfast love;
    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.^(BX)
6 I will sing to the Lord
    because he has dealt bountifully with me.^(BY)

² The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind
    to see if there are any who are wise,
    who seek after God.^(CA)

³ They have all gone astray; they are all alike perverse;
    there is no one who does good,
    no, not one.^(CB)

⁴ Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
    who eat up my people as they eat bread
    and do not call upon the Lord?^(CC)

⁵ There they shall be in great terror,
    for God is with the company of the righteous.^(CD)
6 You would confound the plans of the poor,
    but the Lord is their refuge.^(CE)

⁷ O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!
    When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
    Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.^(CF)

² Those who walk blamelessly and do what is right
    and speak the truth from their heart;^(CH)
3 who do not slander with their tongue
    and do no evil to their friends
    nor heap shame upon their neighbors;^(CI)
4 in whose eyes the wicked are despised
    but who honor those who fear the Lord;
who stand by their oath even to their hurt;^(CJ)
5 who do not lend money at interest
    and do not take a bribe against the innocent.

Those who do these things shall never be moved.^(CK)

³ As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble ones
    in whom is all my delight.^(CM)

⁴ Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows;^[l]
    their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
    or take their names upon my lips.^(CN)

⁵ The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
    you hold my lot.^(CO)
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    I have a goodly heritage.^(CP)

⁷ I bless the Lord, who gives me counsel;
    in the night also my heart instructs me.^(CQ)
8 I keep the Lord always before me;
    because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.^(CR)

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
    my body also rests secure.^(CS)
10 For you do not give me up to Sheol
    or let your faithful one see the Pit.^(CT)

¹¹ You show me the path of life.
    In your presence there is fullness of joy;
    in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.^(CU)

³ If you try my heart, if you visit me by night,
    if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me;
    my mouth does not transgress.^(CV)
4 As for what others do, by the word of your lips
    I have avoided the ways of the violent.^(CW)
5 My steps have held fast to your paths;
    my feet have not slipped.^(CX)

⁶ I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
    incline your ear to me; hear my words.^(CY)
7 Wondrously show your steadfast love,
    O savior of those who seek refuge
    from their adversaries at your right hand.^(CZ)

⁸ Guard me as the apple of the eye;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings,^(DA)
9 from the wicked who despoil me,
    my deadly enemies who surround me.
¹⁰ They close their hearts to pity;
    with their mouths they speak arrogantly.^(DB)
11 They flush me out;^[m] now they surround me;
    they set their eyes to cast me to the ground.
¹² They are like a lion eager to tear,
    like a young lion lurking in ambush.^(DC)

¹³ Rise up, O Lord, confront them, overthrow them!
    By your sword deliver my life from the wicked,^(DD)
14 from mortals—by your hand, O Lord—
    from mortals whose portion in life is in this world.
May their bellies be filled with what you have stored up for them;
    may their children have more than enough;
    may they leave something over to their little ones.^(DE)

¹⁵ As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
    when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.^(DF)

⁴ The cords of death encompassed me;
    the torrents of perdition assailed me;^(DI)
5 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
    the snares of death confronted me.^(DJ)

⁶ In my distress I called upon the Lord;
    to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
    and my cry to him reached his ears.^(DK)

⁷ Then the earth reeled and rocked;
    the foundations also of the mountains trembled
    and reeled because he was angry.^(DL)
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils
    and devouring fire from his mouth;
    glowing coals flamed forth from him.
⁹ He bowed the heavens and came down;
    thick darkness was under his feet.^(DM)
10 He rode on a cherub and flew;
    he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind.^(DN)
11 He made darkness his covering around him,
    his canopy thick clouds dark with water.^(DO)
12 Out of the brightness before him
    there broke through his clouds
    hailstones and coals of fire.^(DP)
13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
    and the Most High uttered his voice.^[n](DQ)
14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
    he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.^(DR)
15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
    and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
    at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.^(DS)

¹⁶ He reached down from on high; he took me;
    he drew me out of mighty waters.^(DT)
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy
    and from those who hated me,
    for they were too mighty for me.^(DU)
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
    but the Lord was my support.
¹⁹ He brought me out into a broad place;
    he delivered me because he delighted in me.^(DV)

²⁰ The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
    according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.^(DW)
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord
    and have not wickedly departed from my God.^(DX)
22 For all his ordinances were before me,
    and his statutes I did not put away from me.^(DY)
23 I was blameless before him,
    and I kept myself from guilt.
²⁴ Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
    according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.^(DZ)

²⁵ With the loyal you show yourself loyal;
    with the blameless you show yourself blameless;^(EA)
26 with the pure you show yourself pure;
    and with the crooked you show yourself shrewd.^(EB)
27 For you deliver a humble people,
    but the haughty eyes you bring down.^(EC)
28 It is you who light my lamp;
    the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.^(ED)
29 By you I can outrun a troop,
    and by my God I can leap over a wall.^(EE)
30 This God—his way is perfect;
    the promise of the Lord proves true;
    he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.^(EF)

³¹ For who is God except the Lord?
    And who is a rock besides our God?^(EG)
32 The God who has girded me with strength
    and made my way safe.^[o]
33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer
    and set me secure on the heights.^(EH)
34 He trains my hands for war,
    so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.^(EI)
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
    and your right hand has supported me;
    your help^[p] has made me great.
³⁶ You gave me a wide place for my steps under me,
    and my feet did not slip.
³⁷ I pursued my enemies and overtook them
    and did not turn back until they were consumed.^(EJ)
38 I struck them down so that they were unable to rise;
    they fell under my feet.^(EK)
39 For you girded me with strength for the battle;
    you made my assailants sink under me.^(EL)
40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
    and those who hated me I destroyed.^(EM)
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them;
    they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.^(EN)
42 I beat them fine, like dust before the wind;
    I cast them out like the mire of the streets.^(EO)

⁴³ You delivered me from strife with the peoples;^[q]
    you made me head of the nations;
    people whom I had not known served me.^(EP)
44 As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me;
    foreigners came cringing to me.
⁴⁵ Foreigners lost heart
    and came trembling out of their strongholds.^(EQ)

⁴⁶ The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock,
    and exalted be the God of my salvation,^(ER)
47 the God who gave me vengeance
    and subdued peoples under me,^(ES)
48 who delivered me from my enemies;
    indeed, you exalted me above my adversaries;
    you delivered me from the violent.^(ET)

⁴⁹ For this I will extol you, O Lord, among the nations
    and sing praises to your name.^(EU)
50 Great triumphs he gives to his king
    and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
    to David and his descendants forever.^(EV)