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Psalm 27[a]

Trust in God

(A)Of David.

A

I

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom should I fear?
The Lord is my life’s refuge;
    of whom should I be afraid?
When evildoers come at me
    to devour my flesh,[b](B)
These my enemies and foes
    themselves stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me,
    my heart does not fear;
Though war be waged against me,
    even then do I trust.

II

One thing I ask of the Lord;
    this I seek:
To dwell in the Lord’s house
    all the days of my life,
To gaze on the Lord’s beauty,
    to visit his temple.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 27 Tradition has handed down the two sections of the Psalm (Ps 27:1–6; 7–14) as one Psalm, though each part could be understood as complete in itself. Asserting boundless hope that God will bring rescue (Ps 27:1–3), the psalmist longs for the presence of God in the Temple, protection from all enemies (Ps 27:4–6). In part B there is a clear shift in tone (Ps 27:7–12); the climax of the poem comes with “I believe” (Ps 27:13), echoing “I trust” (Ps 27:3).
  2. 27:2 To devour my flesh: the psalmist’s enemies are rapacious beasts (Ps 7:3; 17:12; 22:14, 17).

13 I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness
    in the land of the living.[a](A)
14 Wait for the Lord, take courage;
    be stouthearted, wait for the Lord!

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Footnotes

  1. 27:13 In the land of the living: or “in the land of life,” an epithet of the Jerusalem Temple (Ps 52:7; 116:9; Is 38:11), where the faithful had access to the life-giving presence of God.