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Psalm 91[a]

Security Under God’s Protection

I

You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,[b]
    who abide in the shade of the Almighty,
Say to the Lord, “My refuge and fortress,
    my God in whom I trust.”(A)
He will rescue you from the fowler’s snare,
    from the destroying plague,
He will shelter you with his pinions,
    and under his wings you may take refuge;(B)
    his faithfulness is a protecting shield.
You shall not fear the terror of the night
    nor the arrow that flies by day,(C)
Nor the pestilence that roams in darkness,
    nor the plague that ravages at noon.(D)
Though a thousand fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    near you it shall not come.
You need simply watch;
    the punishment of the wicked you will see.(E)
Because you have the Lord for your refuge
    and have made the Most High your stronghold,
10 No evil shall befall you,
    no affliction come near your tent.(F)
11 [c]For he commands his angels with regard to you,(G)
    to guard you wherever you go.(H)
12 With their hands they shall support you,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.(I)
13 You can tread upon the asp and the viper,
    trample the lion and the dragon.(J)

II

14 Because he clings to me I will deliver him;
    because he knows my name I will set him on high.(K)
15 He will call upon me and I will answer;(L)
    I will be with him in distress;(M)
    I will deliver him and give him honor.
16 With length of days I will satisfy him,
    and fill him with my saving power.(N)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 91 A prayer of someone who has taken refuge in the Lord, possibly within the Temple (Ps 91:1–2). The psalmist is confident that God’s presence will protect the people in every dangerous situation (Ps 91:3–13). The final verses are an oracle of salvation promising salvation to those who trust in God (Ps 91:14–16).
  2. 91:1 The shelter of the Most High: basically “hiding place” but in the Psalms a designation for the protected Temple precincts, cf. Ps 27:5; 31:21; 61:5. The shade of the Almighty: lit., “the shadow of the wings of the Almighty,” cf. Ps 17:8; 36:8; 57:2; 63:8. Ps 91:4 makes clear that the shadow is an image of the safety afforded by the outstretched wings of the cherubim in the holy of holies.
  3. 91:11–12 The words are cited in Lk 4:10–11; Mt 4:6, as Satan tempts Jesus in the desert.

Psalm 91

Assurance of God’s Protection

You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
    who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,[a]
will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress;
    my God, in whom I trust.”
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
    and from the deadly pestilence;
he will cover you with his pinions,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
    or the arrow that flies by day,
or the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
    or the destruction that wastes at noonday.

A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
You will only look with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

Because you have made the Lord your refuge,[b]
    the Most High your dwelling place,
10 no evil shall befall you,
    no scourge come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
    so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder,
    the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.

14 Those who love me, I will deliver;
    I will protect those who know my name.
15 When they call to me, I will answer them;
    I will be with them in trouble,
    I will rescue them and honor them.
16 With long life I will satisfy them,
    and show them my salvation.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 91:1 Traditional rendering of Heb Shaddai
  2. Psalm 91:9 Cn: Heb Because you, Lord, are my refuge; you have made

God Our Protector

91 Whoever goes to the Lord for safety,
    whoever remains under the protection of the Almighty,
can say to him,
    “You are my defender and protector.
    You are my God; in you I trust.”
He will keep you safe from all hidden dangers
    and from all deadly diseases.
He will cover you with his wings;
    you will be safe in his care;
    his faithfulness will protect and defend you.
You need not fear any dangers at night
    or sudden attacks during the day
    or the plagues that strike in the dark
    or the evils that kill in daylight.

A thousand may fall dead beside you,
    ten thousand all around you,
    but you will not be harmed.
You will look and see
    how the wicked are punished.

You have made the Lord your[a] defender,
    the Most High your protector,
10 and so no disaster will strike you,
    no violence will come near your home.
11 (A)God will put his angels in charge of you
    to protect you wherever you go.
12 (B)They will hold you up with their hands
    to keep you from hurting your feet on the stones.
13 (C)You will trample down lions and snakes,
    fierce lions and poisonous snakes.

14 God says, “I will save those who love me
    and will protect those who acknowledge me as Lord.
15 When they call to me, I will answer them;
    when they are in trouble, I will be with them.
    I will rescue them and honor them.
16 I will reward them with long life;
    I will save them.”

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 91:9 Probable text your; Hebrew my.

Security of One Who Trusts in the Lord.

91 One who dwells in the (A)shelter of the Most High
Will lodge in the (B)shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, “My (C)refuge and my (D)fortress,
My God, in whom I (E)trust!”
For it is He who rescues you from the (F)net of the trapper
And from the deadly (G)plague.
He will (H)cover you with His pinions,
And (I)under His wings you may take refuge;
His (J)faithfulness is a (K)shield and wall.

You (L)will not be afraid of the (M)terror by night,
Or of the (N)arrow that flies by day;
Of the (O)plague that [a]stalks in darkness,
Or of the (P)destruction that devastates at noon.
A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But (Q)it shall not approach you.
You will only look on with your eyes
And (R)see the retaliation against the wicked.
[b]For you have made the Lord, (S)my refuge,
The Most High, (T)your dwelling place.
10 (U)No evil will happen to you,
Nor will any plague come near your [c]tent.

11 For He will give (V)His angels orders concerning you,
To protect you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will (W)lift you up,
So that you do not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will (X)walk upon the lion and cobra,
You will trample the young lion and the [d]serpent.

14 (Y)Because he has loved Me, I will save him;
I will (Z)set him securely on high, because he has (AA)known My name.
15 He will (AB)call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in [e]trouble;
I will rescue him and (AC)honor him.
16 I will satisfy him with [f]a (AD)long life,
And [g](AE)show him My salvation.”

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 91:6 Or walks
  2. Psalm 91:9 Or For You, O Lord, are my Refuge; You have made the Most High your dwelling place
  3. Psalm 91:10 Or dwelling
  4. Psalm 91:13 Or dragon
  5. Psalm 91:15 Or distress
  6. Psalm 91:16 Lit length of days
  7. Psalm 91:16 Or cause him to feast his eyes on

Psalm 91

Whoever dwells in the shelter(A) of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow(B) of the Almighty.[a]
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge(C) and my fortress,(D)
    my God, in whom I trust.”

Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare(E)
    and from the deadly pestilence.(F)
He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;(G)
    his faithfulness will be your shield(H) and rampart.
You will not fear(I) the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.(J)

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm(K) will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels(L) concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;(M)
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.(N)
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.(O)

14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.(P)
16 With long life(Q) I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.(R)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 91:1 Hebrew Shaddai
  2. Psalm 91:14 That is, probably the king