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Psalm 7

A psalm[a] of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush of the tribe of Benjamin.

I come to you for protection, O Lord my God.
    Save me from my persecutors—rescue me!
If you don’t, they will maul me like a lion,
    tearing me to pieces with no one to rescue me.
O Lord my God, if I have done wrong
    or am guilty of injustice,
if I have betrayed a friend
    or plundered my enemy without cause,
then let my enemies capture me.
    Let them trample me into the ground
    and drag my honor in the dust. Interlude

Arise, O Lord, in anger!
    Stand up against the fury of my enemies!
    Wake up, my God, and bring justice!
Gather the nations before you.
    Rule over them from on high.
    The Lord judges the nations.
Declare me righteous, O Lord,
    for I am innocent, O Most High!
End the evil of those who are wicked,
    and defend the righteous.
For you look deep within the mind and heart,
    O righteous God.

10 God is my shield,
    saving those whose hearts are true and right.
11 God is an honest judge.
    He is angry with the wicked every day.

12 If a person does not repent,
    God[b] will sharpen his sword;
    he will bend and string his bow.
13 He will prepare his deadly weapons
    and shoot his flaming arrows.

14 The wicked conceive evil;
    they are pregnant with trouble
    and give birth to lies.
15 They dig a deep pit to trap others,
    then fall into it themselves.
16 The trouble they make for others backfires on them.
    The violence they plan falls on their own heads.

17 I will thank the Lord because he is just;
    I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

Footnotes

  1. 7:Title Hebrew A shiggaion, probably indicating a musical setting for the psalm.
  2. 7:12 Hebrew he.

A Davidic psalm,[a] which he sang to the Lord, because of the words of Cush the descendant of Benjamin.

A Prayer for Vindication

Lord, my God,
    I seek refuge in you.
Deliver me from those who persecute me!
    Rescue me!
Otherwise, they will rip me to shreds like a lion,
    tearing me[b] apart with no one to rescue me.[c]

Lord, my God, if I have done this thing,
    if there is injustice on my hands,
if I have rewarded those who did me good with evil,
    if I have plundered my enemy without justification,
then, let my enemy pursue me,
    let him overtake me,
        and let him trample my life to the ground.
Interlude
Let him put my honor into the dust.

Get up, Lord, in your anger!
    Rise up, because of the fury of my enemies;
Arouse yourself for me;
    you have ordained justice.
Let the assembly of the peoples gather around you,
    and you will sit[d] high above them.
For the Lord will judge the peoples.
    Judge me according to my righteousness, Lord,
        and according to my integrity, Exalted One.

Let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
    but establish the righteous.
For you are the righteous God
    who discerns the inner thoughts.[e]
10 God is my shield,[f]
    the one who delivers the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge,
    a God who is angry with sinners[g] every day.

12 If the ungodly one[h] doesn’t repent,
    God will sharpen his sword;
        he will string his bow and prepare it.
13 He prepares weapons of death for himself,
    he makes his arrows into fiery shafts.

14 But the wicked one[i] travails with evil,
    he conceives malice and gives birth to lies.
15 He digs a pit, even excavates it;
    then he fell into the hole that he had made.
16 The trouble[j] he planned will return on his own head,
    and his violence will descend on his skull.
17 But as for me,
    I will praise the Lord for his righteousness,
        and I will sing to the name of the Lord Most High.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 7:1 The Heb. reads Shiggaion
  2. Psalm 7:2 The Heb. lacks me
  3. Psalm 7:2 The Heb. lacks me
  4. Psalm 7:7 Lit. return
  5. Psalm 7:9 Lit. hearts and innards
  6. Psalm 7:10 Lit. My shield is on God
  7. Psalm 7:11 The Heb. lacks sinners
  8. Psalm 7:12 Lit. If he
  9. Psalm 7:14 Lit. But he
  10. Psalm 7:16 Lit. His trouble