Oppressed by the Wicked but Rejoicing in the Lord

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

64 Hear my voice, O God, in my [a]meditation;
Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity,
Who sharpen their tongue like a sword,
(A)And bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words,
That they may shoot in secret at the blameless;
Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.

They encourage themselves in an evil matter;
They talk of laying snares secretly;
(B)They say, “Who will see them?”
They devise iniquities:
“We have perfected a shrewd scheme.”
Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.

But God shall shoot at them with an arrow;
Suddenly they shall be wounded.
So He will make them stumble over their own tongue;
(C)All who see them shall flee away.
All men shall fear,
And shall (D)declare the work of God;
For they shall wisely consider His doing.

10 (E)The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and trust in Him.
And all the upright in heart shall glory.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 64:1 complaint

Psalm 64

For the choir director; a psalm by David.

Hear my voice, O Elohim, when I complain.
    Protect my life from a terrifying enemy.
Hide me from the secret plots of criminals,
    from the mob of troublemakers.
        They sharpen their tongues like swords.
        They aim bitter words like arrows
            to shoot at innocent people from their hiding places.
        They shoot at them suddenly, without any fear.
        They encourage one another in their evil plans.
        They talk about setting traps and say,
            “Who can see them?”
        They search for the perfect crime and say,
            “We have perfected a foolproof scheme!”
                Human nature and the human heart are a mystery!

But Elohim will shoot them with an arrow.
    Suddenly, they will be struck dead.
They will trip over their own tongues.
    Everyone who sees them will shake his head.
Everyone will be afraid and conclude,
    “This is an act of Elohim!”
        They will learn from what he has done.

10 Righteous people will find joy in Yahweh and take refuge in him.
    Everyone whose motives are decent will be able to brag.

64 Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:

Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:

That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.

They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?

They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.

But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.

So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away.

And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.

10 The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.