Psalm 21
Complete Jewish Bible
21 (0) For the leader. A psalm of David:
2 (1) Adonai, the king finds joy in your strength;
what great joy he displays in your victory!
3 (2) You give him his heart’s desire;
you don’t refuse the prayer from his lips. (Selah)
4 (3) For you come to meet him with the best blessings,
you place a crown of fine gold on his head.
5 (4) He asks you for life; you give it to him,
years and years forever and ever.
6 (5) Your victory brings him great glory;
you confer on him splendor and honor.
7 (6) For you bestow on him everlasting blessings,
you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
8 (7) For the king puts his trust in Adonai,
in the grace of ‘Elyon; he will not be moved.
9 (8) Your hand will find all your enemies;
your right hand will overtake those who hate you.
10 (9) At your appearing,
you will make them like a fiery furnace.
Adonai will swallow them up in his anger;
fire will consume them.
11 (10) You will destroy from the earth their descendants,
rid humankind of their posterity;
12 (11) for they intended evil against you;
but despite their scheme, they won’t succeed.
13 (12) For you will make them turn their back
by aiming your bow at their faces.
14 (13) Arise, Adonai, in your strength;
and we will sing and praise your power.
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.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
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.
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