Psalm 10-17
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 10
1 Lord,[a][b] why do You stand so far away?(A)
Why do You hide in times of trouble?(B)
2 In arrogance the wicked relentlessly pursue the afflicted;
let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.(C)
3 For the wicked one boasts about his own cravings;(D)
the one who is greedy curses[c] and despises the Lord.(E)
4 In all his scheming,
the wicked arrogantly thinks:[d]
“There is no accountability,
since God does not exist.”(F)
5 His ways are always secure;[e]
Your lofty judgments are beyond his sight;
he scoffs at all his adversaries.(G)
6 He says to himself, “I will never be moved—
from generation to generation without calamity.”(H)
7 Cursing, deceit, and violence fill his mouth;
trouble and malice are under his tongue.(I)
8 He waits in ambush near the villages;(J)
he kills the innocent in secret places.
His eyes are on the lookout for the helpless;(K)
9 he lurks in secret like a lion in a thicket.
He lurks in order to seize the afflicted;
he seizes the afflicted and drags him in his net.
10 So he is oppressed and beaten down;
the helpless fall because of his strength.(L)
11 He says to himself, “God has forgotten;
He hides His face and will never see.”(M)
12 Rise up, Lord God! Lift up Your hand.(N)
Do not forget the afflicted.(O)
13 Why has the wicked person despised God?
He says to himself, “You will not demand an account.”(P)
14 But You Yourself have seen trouble and grief,
observing it in order to take the matter into Your hands.(Q)
The helpless entrusts himself to You;
You are a helper of the fatherless.(R)
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil person;(S)
call his wickedness into account
until nothing remains of it.[f](T)
16 The Lord is King forever and ever;(U)
the nations will perish from His land.(V)
17 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;[g]
You will strengthen their hearts.
You will listen carefully,(W)
18 doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed
so that men of the earth may terrify them no more.(X)
Psalm 11
Refuge in the Lord
For the choir director. Davidic.
1 I have taken refuge in the Lord.(Y)
How can you say to me,
“Escape to the mountain like a bird
2 For look, the wicked string the bow;
they put the[i] arrow on the bowstring
to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.(AA)
3 When the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”(AB)
4 The Lord is in His holy temple;(AC)
the Lord’s throne is in heaven.(AD)
His eyes watch; He examines[j] everyone.
5 The Lord examines the righteous and the wicked.
He hates the lover of violence.(AE)
6 He will rain burning coals[k] and sulfur on the wicked;
a scorching wind will be their portion.[l](AF)
7 For the Lord is righteous; He loves righteous deeds.
The upright will see His face.(AG)
Psalm 12
Oppression by the Wicked
For the choir director: according to Sheminith.(AH) A Davidic psalm.
1 Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains;
the loyal have disappeared from the human race.(AI)
2 They lie to one another;
they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts.(AJ)
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips
and the tongue that speaks boastfully.(AK)
4 They say, “Through our tongues we have power;[m]
our lips are our own—who can be our master?”(AL)
5 “Because of the oppression of the afflicted
and the groaning of the poor,
I will now rise up,” says the Lord.
“I will put the one who longs for it in a safe place.”(AM)
6 The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in an earthen furnace,
purified seven times.(AN)
7 You, Lord, will guard us;[n]
You will protect us[o] from this generation forever.(AO)
8 The wicked wander[p] everywhere,
and what is worthless is exalted by the human race.(AP)
Psalm 13
A Plea for Deliverance
For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.
1 Lord, how long will You forget me?
Forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?(AQ)
2 How long will I store up anxious concerns[q] within me,
agony in my mind every day?
How long will my enemy dominate me?(AR)
3 Consider me and answer, Lord my God.
Restore brightness to my eyes;(AS)
otherwise, I will sleep in death.
4 My enemy will say, “I have triumphed over him,”
and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.(AT)
5 But I have trusted in Your faithful love;(AU)
my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance.(AV)
6 I will sing to the Lord
because He has treated me generously.(AW)
Psalm 14
A Portrait of Sinners
For the choir director. Davidic.
1 The fool says in his heart, “God does not exist.”(AX)
They are corrupt; they do vile deeds.
There is no one who does good.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the human race(AY)
to see if there is one who is wise,
one who seeks God.
3 All have turned away;
all alike have become corrupt.
There is no one who does good,
not even one.[r](AZ)
4 Will evildoers never understand?
They consume My people as they consume bread;(BA)
they do not call on the Lord.(BB)
5 Then[s] they will be filled with terror,
for God is with those who are[t] righteous.(BC)
6 You sinners frustrate the plans of the afflicted,(BD)
but the Lord is his refuge.(BE)
7 Oh, that Israel’s deliverance would come from Zion!
When the Lord restores the fortunes of His people,[u]
Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.[v](BF)
Psalm 15
A Description of the Godly
A Davidic psalm.
2 The one who lives honestly, practices righteousness,
and acknowledges the truth in his heart(BI)—
3 who does not slander with his tongue,(BJ)
who does not harm his friend
or discredit his neighbor,(BK)
4 who despises the one rejected by the Lord[w]
but honors those who fear the Lord,(BL)
who keeps his word whatever the cost,(BM)
5 who does not lend his money at interest(BN)
or take a bribe against the innocent(BO)—
the one who does these things will never be moved.(BP)
Psalm 16
Confidence in the Lord
A Davidic Miktam.(BQ)
1 Protect me, God, for I take refuge in You.(BR)
2 I[x] said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord;
I have nothing good besides You.”[y](BS)
3 As for the holy people who are in the land,(BT)
they are the noble ones.
All my delight is in them.
4 The sorrows of those who take another god
for themselves will multiply;
I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
and I will not speak their names with my lips.(BU)
5 Lord, You are my portion[z]
and my cup of blessing;
You hold my future.(BV)
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me
in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.(BW)
7 I will praise the Lord who counsels me(BX)—
even at night my conscience instructs me.(BY)
8 I keep the Lord in mind[aa] always.
Because He is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.(BZ)
9 Therefore my heart is glad
and my spirit rejoices;
my body also rests securely.(CA)
10 For You will not abandon me to Sheol;(CB)
You will not allow Your Faithful One to see decay.(CC)
11 You reveal the path of life to me;
in Your presence is abundant joy;(CD)
in Your right hand are eternal pleasures.(CE)
Psalm 17
A Prayer for Protection
A Davidic prayer.
1 Lord, hear a just cause;(CF)
pay attention to my cry;
listen to my prayer—
from lips free of deceit.(CG)
2 Let my vindication come from You,
for You see what is right.(CH)
3 You have tested my heart;(CI)
You have examined me at night.
You have tried me and found nothing evil;(CJ)
I have determined that my mouth will not sin.[ab]
4 Concerning what people do:
by the word of Your lips[ac]
I have avoided the ways of the violent.(CK)
5 My steps are on Your paths;
my feet have not slipped.(CL)
6 I call on You, God,
because You will answer me;(CM)
listen closely to me; hear what I say.
7 Display the wonders of Your faithful love,(CN)
Savior of all who seek refuge(CO)
from those who rebel against Your right hand.[ad]
8 Protect me as the pupil of Your eye;(CP)
hide me in the shadow of Your wings(CQ)
9 from[ae] the wicked who treat me violently,[af]
my deadly enemies who surround me.(CR)
10 They have become hardened;[ag](CS)
their mouths speak arrogantly.(CT)
11 They advance against me;[ah] now they surround me.(CU)
They are determined[ai]
to throw me to the ground.(CV)
12 They are[aj] like a lion eager to tear,
like a young lion lurking in ambush.(CW)
13 Rise up, Lord!
Confront him; bring him down.(CX)
With Your sword, save me from the wicked.(CY)
14 With Your hand, Lord, save me from men,
from men of the world
whose portion is in this life:
You fill their bellies with what You have in store;
their sons are satisfied,
and they leave their surplus to their children.(CZ)
15 But I will see Your face in righteousness;(DA)
when I awake, I will be satisfied with Your presence.[ak](DB)
Footnotes
- Psalm 10:1 Some Hb mss, LXX connect Pss 9–10.
- Psalm 10:1 Together these 2 psalms form a partial acrostic.
- Psalm 10:3 Or he blesses the greedy
- Psalm 10:4 Lit wicked according to the height of his nose
- Psalm 10:5 Or prosperous
- Psalm 10:15 Lit account You do not find
- Psalm 10:17 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr read afflicted
- Psalm 11:1 Lit to your mountain, bird
- Psalm 11:2 Lit their
- Psalm 11:4 Lit His eyelids examine
- Psalm 11:6 Sym; MT reads rain snares, fire
- Psalm 11:6 Lit be the portion of their cup
- Psalm 12:4 Lit That say, “By our tongues we are strengthened
- Psalm 12:7 Some Hb mss, LXX, Jer; other Hb mss read them
- Psalm 12:7 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss read him
- Psalm 12:8 Lit walk about
- Psalm 13:2 Or up counsels
- Psalm 14:3 Some Hb mss, some LXX mss add the material found in Rm 3:13-18.
- Psalm 14:5 Or There
- Psalm 14:5 Lit with the generation of the
- Psalm 14:7 Or restores His captive people
- Psalm 14:7 Or let Jacob rejoice; let Israel be glad.
- Psalm 15:4 Lit in his eyes the rejected is despised
- Psalm 16:2 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Jer; other Hb mss read You
- Psalm 16:2 Or “Lord, my good; there is none besides You.”
- Psalm 16:5 Or allotted portion
- Psalm 16:8 Lit front of me
- Psalm 17:3 Or [evil]; my mouth will not sin
- Psalm 17:4 God’s instruction
- Psalm 17:7 Or love, You who save with Your right hand those seeking refuge from adversaries
- Psalm 17:9 Lit from the presence of
- Psalm 17:9 Or who plunder me
- Psalm 17:10 Lit have closed up their fat
- Psalm 17:11 Vg; one Hb ms, LXX read They cast me out; MT reads Our steps
- Psalm 17:11 Lit They set their eyes
- Psalm 17:12 Lit He is
- Psalm 17:15 Lit form
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