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Psalm 16

Song of Trust and Security in God

A Miktam of David.

Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord;
    I have no good apart from you.’[a]

As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble,
    in whom is all my delight.

Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows;[b]
    their drink-offerings of blood I will not pour out
    or take their names upon my lips.

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
    you hold my lot.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    I have a goodly heritage.

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
    in the night also my heart instructs me.
I keep the Lord always before me;
    because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
    my body also rests secure.
10 For you do not give me up to Sheol,
    or let your faithful one see the Pit.

11 You show me the path of life.
    In your presence there is fullness of joy;
    in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 16:2 Jerome Tg: Meaning of Heb uncertain
  2. Psalm 16:4 Cn: Meaning of Heb uncertain

Psalm 16

Song of Trust and Security in God

A Miktam of David.

Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
    I have no good apart from you.”[a]

As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble,
    in whom is all my delight.

Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows;[b]
    their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
    or take their names upon my lips.

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
    you hold my lot.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    I have a goodly heritage.

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
    in the night also my heart instructs me.
I keep the Lord always before me;
    because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
    my body also rests secure.
10 For you do not give me up to Sheol,
    or let your faithful one see the Pit.

11 You show me the path of life.
    In your presence there is fullness of joy;
    in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 16:2 Jerome Tg: Meaning of Heb uncertain
  2. Psalm 16:4 Cn: Meaning of Heb uncertain

A Prayer of Confidence[a]

16 Protect me, O God; I trust in you for safety.
I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
    all the good things I have come from you.”

How excellent are the Lord's faithful people!
    My greatest pleasure is to be with them.

Those who rush to other gods
    bring many troubles on themselves.[b]
I will not take part in their sacrifices;
    I will not worship their gods.

You, Lord, are all I have,
    and you give me all I need;
    my future is in your hands.
How wonderful are your gifts to me;
    how good they are!

I praise the Lord, because he guides me,
    and in the night my conscience warns me.
I am always aware of the Lord's presence;
    he is near, and nothing can shake me.

And so I am thankful and glad,
    and I feel completely secure,
10 (A)because you protect me from the power of death.
I have served you faithfully,
    and you will not abandon me to the world of the dead.

11 (B)You will show me the path that leads to life;
    your presence fills me with joy
    and brings me pleasure forever.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 16:1 HEBREW TITLE: A psalm by David.
  2. Psalm 16:4 Probable text Those … themselves; Hebrew unclear.

The Lord, the Psalmist’s Portion in Life and Salvation in Death.

A [a]Mikhtam of David.

16 (A)Protect me, God, for (B)I take refuge in You.
[b]I said to the Lord, “You are [c]my Lord;
I (C)have nothing good besides You.”
As for the [d](D)saints who are on the earth,
[e]They are the majestic ones; (E)all my delight is in them.
[f]The (F)pains of those who have acquired another god will be multiplied;
I will not pour out their drink offerings of (G)blood,
Nor will I (H)take their names upon my lips.

The Lord is the (I)portion of my inheritance and my (J)cup;
You support my (K)lot.
The measuring (L)lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my inheritance is (M)beautiful to me.

I will bless the Lord who has (N)advised me;
Indeed, my [g](O)mind instructs me in the night.
(P)I have (Q)set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is (R)at my right hand, (S)I will not be shaken.
Therefore (T)my heart is glad and (U)my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will (V)dwell securely.
10 For You (W)will not abandon my soul to [h]Sheol;
You will not [i](X)allow Your [j]Holy One to [k]undergo decay.
11 You will make known to me (Y)the way of life;
In (Z)Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are (AA)pleasures forever.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 16 Title Possibly Epigrammatic Poem or Atonement Psalm
  2. Psalm 16:2 Or O my soul, you said
  3. Psalm 16:2 Or the Lord
  4. Psalm 16:3 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
  5. Psalm 16:3 Lit They, even the
  6. Psalm 16:4 Lit Their pains, they who acquired
  7. Psalm 16:7 Lit kidneys, figurative for inner man
  8. Psalm 16:10 I.e., the netherworld
  9. Psalm 16:10 Lit give
  10. Psalm 16:10 Or godly one
  11. Psalm 16:10 Or see corruption; or the pit

Psalm 16

A miktam[a] of David.

Keep me safe,(A) my God,
    for in you I take refuge.(B)

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;(C)
    apart from you I have no good thing.”(D)
I say of the holy people(E) who are in the land,(F)
    “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
Those who run after other gods(G) will suffer(H) more and more.
    I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
    or take up their names(I) on my lips.

Lord, you alone are my portion(J) and my cup;(K)
    you make my lot(L) secure.
The boundary lines(M) have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.(N)
I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;(O)
    even at night(P) my heart instructs me.
I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand,(Q) I will not be shaken.(R)

Therefore my heart is glad(S) and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,(T)
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,(U)
    nor will you let your faithful[b] one(V) see decay.(W)
11 You make known to me the path of life;(X)
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,(Y)
    with eternal pleasures(Z) at your right hand.(AA)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 16:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  2. Psalm 16:10 Or holy