Psalm 11-15
American Standard Version
Jehovah a refuge and defence.
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
11 In Jehovah do I take refuge:
How say ye to my soul,
Flee [a]as a bird to your mountain;
2 For, lo, the wicked bend the bow,
They make ready their arrow upon the string,
That they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart;
3 [b]If the foundations be destroyed,
What can the righteous do?
4 Jehovah is in his holy temple;
Jehovah, his throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
5 Jehovah trieth the righteous;
But the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
6 Upon the wicked he will rain snares;
Fire and brimstone and burning wind shall be the portion of their cup.
7 For Jehovah is righteous; he loveth [c]righteousness:
[d]The upright shall behold his face.
God a helper against the treacherous.
For the Chief Musician; set to [e]the Sheminith. A Psalm of David.
12 Help, Jehovah; for the godly man ceaseth;
For [f]the faithful fail from among the children of men.
2 They speak falsehood every one with his neighbor:
With flattering lip, and with a double heart, do they speak.
3 Jehovah will cut off all flattering lips,
The tongue that speaketh great things;
4 Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail;
Our lips are [g]our own: who is lord over us?
5 Because of the oppression of the poor, because of the sighing of the needy,
Now will I arise, saith Jehovah;
I will set him in the safety he panteth for.
6 The words of Jehovah are pure words;
As silver tried in a furnace on the earth,
Purified seven times.
7 Thou wilt keep them, O Jehovah,
Thou wilt preserve them from this generation for ever.
8 The wicked walk on every side,
When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.
Prayer for help in affliction.
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
13 How long, O Jehovah? wilt thou forget me for ever?
How long wilt thou hide thy face from me?
2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and answer me, O Jehovah my God:
Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
4 Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him;
Lest mine adversaries rejoice when I am moved.
5 But I have trusted in thy lovingkindness;
My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.
6 I will sing unto Jehovah,
Because he hath dealt bountifully with me.
The folly and wickedness of men.
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
14 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.
They are corrupt, they have done abominable works;
There is none that doeth good.
2 Jehovah looked down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there were any that did [h]understand,
That did seek after God.
3 They are all gone aside; they are together become filthy;
There is none that doeth good, no, not one.
4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And call not upon Jehovah?
5 There were they in great fear;
For God is in the generation of the righteous.
6 Ye put to shame the counsel of the poor,
[i]Because Jehovah is his refuge.
7 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion!
When Jehovah [j]bringeth back the captivity of his people,
Then shall Jacob rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
Description of a citizen of Zion.
A Psalm of David.
15 Jehovah, who shall sojourn in thy [k]tabernacle?
Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness,
And speaketh truth in his heart;
3 [l]He that slandereth not with his tongue,
Nor doeth evil to his friend,
Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor;
4 In [m]whose eyes a reprobate is despised,
But [n]who honoreth them that fear Jehovah;
[o]He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not;
5 [p]He that putteth not out his money to interest,
Nor taketh reward against the innocent.
He that doeth these things shall never be moved.
Footnotes
- Psalm 11:1 Or, ye birds
- Psalm 11:3 Or, For the foundations are destroyed; What hath the righteous wrought?
- Psalm 11:7 Or, righteous deeds
- Psalm 11:7 Or, His countenance doth behold the upright
- Psalm 12:1 Or, the eighth
- Psalm 12:1 Or, faithfulness faileth
- Psalm 12:4 Hebrew with us.
- Psalm 14:2 Or, deal wisely
- Psalm 14:6 Or, But
- Psalm 14:7 Or, returneth to
- Psalm 15:1 Hebrew tent.
- Psalm 15:3 Or, He slandereth
- Psalm 15:4 Or, his . . . he
- Psalm 15:4 Or, his . . . he
- Psalm 15:4 Or, He sweareth
- Psalm 15:5 Or, He putteth
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