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Psalm 21
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Psalm 21
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Psalm 21[a]
Thanksgiving and Assurances for the King
1 For the leader. A psalm of David.
I
2 Lord, the king finds joy in your power;(A)
in your victory how greatly he rejoices!
3 You have granted him his heart’s desire;
you did not refuse the request of his lips.
Selah
4 For you welcomed him with goodly blessings;
you placed on his head a crown of pure gold.
5 He asked life of you;
you gave it to him,
length of days forever.(B)
6 Great is his glory in your victory;
majesty and splendor you confer upon him.
7 You make him the pattern of blessings forever,
you gladden him with the joy of your face.
8 For the king trusts in the Lord,
stands firm through the mercy of the Most High.
II
9 Your hand will find all your enemies;
your right hand will find your foes!
10 At the time of your coming
you will make them a fiery furnace.
Then the Lord in his anger will consume them,
devour them with fire.
11 Even their descendants you will wipe out from the earth,
their offspring from the human race.
12 Though they intend evil against you,
devising plots, they will not succeed,
13 For you will put them to flight;
you will aim at their faces with your bow.
III
14 Arise, Lord, in your power!(C)
We will sing and chant the praise of your might.
Footnotes
- Psalm 21 The first part of this royal Psalm is a thanksgiving (Ps 21:2–8), and the second is a promise that the king will triumph over his enemies (Ps 21:9–13). The king’s confident prayer (Ps 21:3–5) and trust in God (Ps 21:8) enable him to receive the divine gifts of vitality, peace, and military success. Ps 21:14 reprises Ps 21:2. When kings ceased in Israel after the sixth century B.C., the Psalm was sung of a future Davidic king.
Psalm 21
Amplified Bible
Psalm 21
Amplified Bible
Praise for Help.
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
21 O Lord the king will delight in Your strength,
And in Your salvation how greatly will he rejoice!
2
You have given him his heart’s desire,
And You have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah.
3
For You meet him with blessings of good things;
You set a crown of pure gold on his head.
4
He asked life of You,
And You gave it to him,
Long life forever and evermore.
5
His glory is great because of Your victory;
Splendor and majesty You bestow upon him.
6
For You make him most blessed [and a blessing] forever;
You make him joyful with the joy of Your presence.(A)
7
For the king [confidently] trusts in the Lord,
And through the lovingkindness (faithfulness, goodness) of the Most High he will never be shaken.
8
Your hand will reach out and defeat all your enemies;
Your right hand will reach those who hate you.
9
You will make them as [if in] a blazing oven in the time of your anger;
The Lord will swallow them up in His wrath,
And the fire will devour them.
10
Their offspring You will destroy from the earth,
And their descendants from the sons of men.
11
For they planned evil against You;
They devised a [malevolent] plot
And they will not succeed.
12
For You will make them turn their backs [in defeat];
You will aim Your bowstring [of divine justice] at their faces.
13
Be exalted, Lord, in Your strength;
We will sing and praise Your power.
Psalm 21
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 21
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 21
The King’s Victory
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
1 Lord, the king finds joy in your strength.
How greatly he rejoices in your victory!(A)
2 You have given him his heart’s desire(B)
and have not denied the request of his lips.(C)Selah
3 For you meet him with rich blessings;
you place a crown of pure gold on his head.(D)
4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
length of days forever and ever.(E)
5 His glory is great through your victory;
you confer majesty and splendor on him.(F)
6 You give him blessings forever;(G)
you cheer him with joy in your presence.(H)
7 For the king relies on the Lord;
through the faithful love of the Most High
he is not shaken.(I)
8 Your hand will capture all your enemies;
your right hand will seize those who hate you.(J)
9 You will make them burn
like a fiery furnace when you appear;
the Lord will engulf them in his wrath,
and fire will devour them.(K)
10 You will wipe their progeny from the earth
and their offspring from the human race.[a](L)
11 Though they intend to harm[b] you
and devise a wicked plan, they will not prevail.(M)
12 Instead, you will put them to flight
when you ready your bowstrings to shoot at them.(N)
13 Be exalted, Lord, in your strength;
we will sing and praise your might.(O)
Psalm 21
GOD’S WORD Translation
Psalm 21
GOD’S WORD Translation
For the choir director; a psalm by David.
21 The king finds joy in your strength, O Lord.
What great joy he has in your victory!
2 You gave him his heart’s desire.
You did not refuse the prayer from his lips. Selah
3 You welcomed him with the blessings of good things
and set a crown of fine gold on his head.
4 He asked you for life.
You gave him a long life, forever and ever.
5 Because of your victory his glory is great.
You place splendor and majesty on him.
6 Yes, you made him a blessing forever.
You made him glad with the joy of your presence.
7 Indeed, the king trusts the Lord,
and through the mercy of the Most High, he will not be moved.
8 Your hand will discover all your enemies.
Your powerful hand will find all who hate you.
9 When you appear, you will make them ⌞burn⌟ like a blazing furnace.
The Lord will swallow them up in his anger.
Fire will devour them.
10 You will destroy their children from the earth
and their offspring from among Adam’s descendants.
11 Although they scheme and plan evil against you,
they will not succeed.
12 They turn their backs ⌞and flee⌟
because you aim your bow at their faces.
13 Arise, O Lord, in your strength.
We will sing and make music to praise your power.
Psalm 21
New International Version
Psalm 21
New International Version
Psalm 21[a]
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
2 You have granted him his heart’s desire(C)
and have not withheld the request of his lips.[b]
3 You came to greet him with rich blessings
and placed a crown of pure gold(D) on his head.(E)
4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
length of days, for ever and ever.(F)
5 Through the victories(G) you gave, his glory is great;
you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.(H)
6 Surely you have granted him unending blessings
and made him glad with the joy(I) of your presence.(J)
7 For the king trusts in the Lord;(K)
through the unfailing love(L) of the Most High(M)
he will not be shaken.(N)
8 Your hand will lay hold(O) on all your enemies;
your right hand will seize your foes.
9 When you appear for battle,
you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace.
The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath,
and his fire will consume them.(P)
10 You will destroy their descendants from the earth,
their posterity from mankind.(Q)
11 Though they plot evil(R) against you
and devise wicked schemes,(S) they cannot succeed.
12 You will make them turn their backs(T)
when you aim at them with drawn bow.
Footnotes
- Psalm 21:1 In Hebrew texts 21:1-13 is numbered 21:2-14.
- Psalm 21:2 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Amplified Bible (AMP) 
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God’s Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.