Psalm 13-14

New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Psalm 13^[a]

Prayer for Help

¹For the leader. A psalm of David.

I

²How long, Lord? Will you utterly forget me?
    How long will you hide your face from me?^(A)
³How long must I carry sorrow in my soul,
    grief in my heart day after day?
    How long will my enemy triumph over me?

II

⁴Look upon me, answer me, Lord, my God!
Give light to my eyes lest I sleep in death,
⁵Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed,”
lest my foes rejoice at my downfall.^(B)

III

⁶But I trust in your mercy.
Grant my heart joy in your salvation,
I will sing to the Lord,
for he has dealt bountifully with me!^(C)

Psalm 14^[b]

A Lament over Widespread Corruption

¹For the leader. Of David.

I

The fool says in his heart,
    “There is no God.”
Their deeds are loathsome and corrupt;
    not one does what is good.^(D)
²The Lord looks down from heaven
    upon the children of men,^(E)
To see if even one is wise,
    if even one seeks God.^(F)
³All have gone astray;
    all alike are perverse.
Not one does what is good,
    not even one.^(G)

II

⁴Will these evildoers never learn?
    They devour my people as they devour bread;^(H)
    they do not call upon the Lord.^(I)
⁵They have good reason, then, to fear;
    God is with the company of the just.
⁶They would crush the hopes of the poor,
    but the poor have the Lord as their refuge.

III

⁷^(J)Oh, that from Zion might come
the salvation of Israel!
Jacob would rejoice, and Israel be glad
when the Lord restores his people!^[c]

Footnotes

Psalm 13 A typical lament, in which the psalmist feels forgotten by God (Ps 13:2–3)—note the force of the repetition of “How long.” The references to enemies may suggest some have wished evil on the psalmist. The heartfelt prayer (Ps 13:4–5) passes on a statement of trust (Ps 13:6a), intended to reinforce the prayer, and a vow to thank God when deliverance has come (Ps 13:6b).
Psalm 14 The lament (duplicated in Ps 53) depicts the world as consisting of two types of people: “the fool” (equals the wicked, Ps 14:1–3) and “the company of the just” (Ps 14:4–6; also called “my people,” and “the poor”). The wicked persecute the just, but the Psalm expresses the hope that God will punish the wicked and reward the good.
14:7 Jacob…Israel…his people: the righteous poor are identified with God’s people.

New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

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.

Psalm 13-14 New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Psalm 13[a]