Psalm 21
New American Standard Bible
Praise for Salvation.
For the music director. A Psalm of David.
21 Lord, in Your strength the king will (A)be glad,
And in Your [a]salvation how greatly he will rejoice!
2 You have (B)given him his heart’s desire,
And You have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
3 For You (C)meet him with the blessings of good things;
You set a (D)crown of pure gold on his head.
4 He asked for life from You,
You (E)gave it to him,
(F)Length of days forever and ever.
5 His (G)glory is great through Your [b]salvation,
(H)Splendor and majesty You place upon him.
6 For You make him [c]most (I)blessed forever;
You make him joyful (J)with the joy of Your presence.
7 For the king (K)trusts in the Lord,
And through the faithfulness of the Most High (L)he will not be shaken.
8 Your hand will (M)find all your enemies;
Your right hand will find those who hate you.
9 You will make them (N)as a fiery oven in the time [d]of your anger;
The Lord will (O)swallow them up in His wrath,
And (P)fire will devour them.
10 You will eliminate their [e]descendants from the earth,
And their [f](Q)children from among the sons of mankind.
11 Though they [g](R)intended evil against You
And (S)devised a plot,
They will not succeed.
12 For You will (T)make them turn their back;
You will take aim at their faces (U)with Your bowstrings.
13 Be exalted, Lord, in Your strength;
We will (V)sing and praise Your power.
Footnotes
- Psalm 21:1 Or victory
- Psalm 21:5 Or victory
- Psalm 21:6 Lit blessings
- Psalm 21:9 Or of your presence
- Psalm 21:10 Lit fruit
- Psalm 21:10 Lit seed
- Psalm 21:11 Lit stretched out
Psalm 21
The Message
21 1-7 Your strength, God, is the king’s strength.
Helped, he’s hollering Hosannas.
You gave him exactly what he wanted;
you didn’t hold back.
You filled his arms with gifts;
you gave him a right royal welcome.
He wanted a good life; you gave it to him,
and then made it a long life as a bonus.
You lifted him high and bright as a cumulus cloud,
then dressed him in rainbow colors.
You pile blessings on him;
you make him glad when you smile.
Is it any wonder the king loves God?
that he’s sticking with the Best?
8-12 With a fistful of enemies in one hand
and a fistful of haters in the other,
You radiate with such brilliance
that they cringe as before a furnace.
Now the furnace swallows them whole,
the fire eats them alive!
You purge the earth of their progeny,
you wipe the slate clean.
All their evil schemes, the plots they cook up,
have fizzled—every one.
You sent them packing;
they couldn’t face you.
13 Show your strength, God, so no one can miss it.
We are out singing the good news!
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson