Psalm 7

Prayer for Justice

A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.

Lord my God, I seek refuge in you;(A)
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,(B)
or they[a] will tear me like a lion,
ripping me apart with no one to rescue me.(C)

Lord my God, if I have done this,
if there is injustice on my hands,(D)
if I have done harm to one at peace with me(E)
or have plundered[b] my adversary without cause,(F)
may an enemy pursue and overtake me;
may he trample me to the ground(G)
and leave my honor in the dust.(H)Selah

Rise up, Lord, in your anger;
lift yourself up against the fury of my adversaries;(I)
awake for me;[c](J)
you have ordained a judgment.(K)
Let the assembly of peoples gather around you;(L)
take your seat on high over it.(M)
The Lord judges the peoples;(N)
vindicate me, Lord,
according to my righteousness and my integrity.(O)

Let the evil of the wicked come to an end,(P)
but establish the righteous.(Q)
The one who examines the thoughts and emotions[d]
is a righteous God.(R)
10 My shield is with God,(S)
who saves the upright in heart.(T)
11 God is a righteous judge
and a God who shows his wrath every day.(U)

12 If anyone does not repent,
he will sharpen his sword;(V)
he has strung his bow and made it ready.(W)
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;
he tips his arrows with fire.(X)

14 See, the wicked one is pregnant with evil,
conceives trouble, and gives birth to deceit.(Y)
15 He dug a pit and hollowed it out
but fell into the hole he had made.(Z)
16 His trouble comes back on his own head;
his own violence comes down on top of his head.(AA)

17 I will thank the Lord for his righteousness;
I will sing about the name of the Lord Most High.(AB)

Footnotes

  1. 7:2 Lit he
  2. 7:4 Or me and have spared
  3. 7:6 LXX reads awake, Lord my God
  4. 7:9 Lit examines hearts and kidneys

A Davidic psalm,[a] which he sang to the Lord, because of the words of Cush the descendant of Benjamin.

A Prayer for Vindication

Lord, my God,
    I seek refuge in you.
Deliver me from those who persecute me!
    Rescue me!
Otherwise, they will rip me to shreds like a lion,
    tearing me[b] apart with no one to rescue me.[c]

Lord, my God, if I have done this thing,
    if there is injustice on my hands,
if I have rewarded those who did me good with evil,
    if I have plundered my enemy without justification,
then, let my enemy pursue me,
    let him overtake me,
        and let him trample my life to the ground.
Interlude
Let him put my honor into the dust.

Get up, Lord, in your anger!
    Rise up, because of the fury of my enemies;
Arouse yourself for me;
    you have ordained justice.
Let the assembly of the peoples gather around you,
    and you will sit[d] high above them.
For the Lord will judge the peoples.
    Judge me according to my righteousness, Lord,
        and according to my integrity, Exalted One.

Let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
    but establish the righteous.
For you are the righteous God
    who discerns the inner thoughts.[e]
10 God is my shield,[f]
    the one who delivers the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge,
    a God who is angry with sinners[g] every day.

12 If the ungodly one[h] doesn’t repent,
    God will sharpen his sword;
        he will string his bow and prepare it.
13 He prepares weapons of death for himself,
    he makes his arrows into fiery shafts.

14 But the wicked one[i] travails with evil,
    he conceives malice and gives birth to lies.
15 He digs a pit, even excavates it;
    then he fell into the hole that he had made.
16 The trouble[j] he planned will return on his own head,
    and his violence will descend on his skull.
17 But as for me,
    I will praise the Lord for his righteousness,
        and I will sing to the name of the Lord Most High.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 7:1 The Heb. reads Shiggaion
  2. Psalm 7:2 The Heb. lacks me
  3. Psalm 7:2 The Heb. lacks me
  4. Psalm 7:7 Lit. return
  5. Psalm 7:9 Lit. hearts and innards
  6. Psalm 7:10 Lit. My shield is on God
  7. Psalm 7:11 The Heb. lacks sinners
  8. Psalm 7:12 Lit. If he
  9. Psalm 7:14 Lit. But he
  10. Psalm 7:16 Lit. His trouble