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A Prayer for Justice[a]

O Lord, my God, I come to you for protection;
    rescue me and save me from all who pursue me,
or else like a lion they will carry me off
    where no one can save me,
    and there they will tear me to pieces.

3-4 O Lord, my God, if I have wronged anyone,
    if I have betrayed a friend
    or without cause done violence to my enemy[b]
    if I have done any of these things—
then let my enemies pursue me and catch me,
    let them cut me down and kill me
    and leave me lifeless on the ground!

Rise in your anger, O Lord!
    Stand up against the fury of my enemies;
    rouse yourself and help me!
Justice is what you demand,
    so bring together all the peoples around you,
    and rule over them from above.[c]
You are the judge of all people.
    Judge in my favor, O Lord;
    you know that I am innocent.
(A)You are a righteous God
    and judge our thoughts and desires.
Stop the wickedness of evildoers
    and reward those who are good.

10 God is my protector;
    he saves those who obey him.
11 God is a righteous judge
    and always condemns the wicked.
12 If they do not change their ways,
    God will sharpen his sword.
He bends his bow and makes it ready;
13     he takes up his deadly weapons
    and aims his burning arrows.

14 See how wicked people think up evil;
    they plan trouble and practice deception.
15 But in the traps they set for others,
    they themselves get caught.
16 So they are punished by their own evil
    and are hurt by their own violence.

17 I thank the Lord for his justice;
    I sing praises to the Lord, the Most High.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 7:1 HEBREW TITLE: A song which David sang to the Lord because of Cush the Benjaminite.
  2. Psalm 7:3 without cause done violence to my enemy; or shown mercy to someone who wronged me unjustly.
  3. Psalm 7:7 Probable text rule over them from above; Hebrew return above over them.

Psalm 7

Plea for Help against Persecutors

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

O Lord my God, in you I take refuge;
    save me from all my pursuers, and deliver me,(A)
or like a lion they will tear me apart;
    they will drag me away, with no one to rescue.(B)

O Lord my God, if I have done this,
    if there is wrong in my hands,(C)
if I have repaid my ally with harm
    or plundered my foe without cause,(D)
then let the enemy pursue and overtake me,
    trample my life to the ground,
    and lay my soul in the dust. Selah

Rise up, O Lord, in your anger;
    lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;
    awake, O my God;[a] you have appointed a judgment.(E)
Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered around you,
    and over it take your seat[b] on high.(F)
The Lord judges the peoples;
    judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness
    and according to the integrity that is in me.(G)

O let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
    but establish the righteous,
you who test the minds and hearts,
    O righteous God.(H)
10 God is my shield,
    who saves the upright in heart.(I)
11 God is a righteous judge
    and a God who has indignation every day.(J)

12 If one does not repent, God[c] will whet his sword;
    he has bent and strung his bow;(K)
13 he has prepared his deadly weapons,
    making his arrows fiery shafts.(L)
14 See how they conceive evil
    and are pregnant with mischief
    and bring forth lies.(M)
15 They make a pit, digging it out,
    and fall into the hole that they have made.(N)
16 Their mischief returns upon their own heads,
    and on their own heads their violence descends.(O)

17 I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness
    and sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.(P)

Footnotes

  1. 7.6 Or awake for me
  2. 7.7 Cn: Heb return
  3. 7.12 Heb he

(0) A shiggayon of David, which he sang to Adonai because of Kush the Ben-Y’mini:

(1) Adonai my God, in you I take refuge.
Save me from all my pursuers, and rescue me;
(2) otherwise, they will maul me like a lion
and tear me apart, with no rescuer present.

(3) Adonai my God, if I have caused this,
if there is guilt on my hands,
(4) if I paid back evil to him who was at peace with me,
when I even spared those who opposed me without cause;
(5) then let the enemy pursue me
until he overtakes me
and tramples my life down into the earth;
yes, let him lay my honor in the dust. (Selah)

(6) Rise up, Adonai, in your anger!
Arouse yourself against the fury of my foes.
Wake up for me; you commanded justice.
(7) May the assembly of the peoples surround you;
may you return to rule over them from on high.
(8) Adonai, who dispenses judgment to the peoples,
judge me, Adonai, according to my righteousness
and as my integrity deserves.
10 (9) Let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
and establish the righteous;
since you, righteous God,
test hearts and minds.
11 (10) My shield is God,
who saves the upright in heart.

12 (11) God is a righteous judge,
a God whose anger is present every day.
13 (12) If a person will not repent,
he sharpens his sword.
He has bent his bow, made it ready;
14 (13) he has also prepared for him
weapons of death, his arrows,
which he has made into burning shafts.

15 (14) Look how the wicked is pregnant with evil;
he conceives trouble, gives birth to lies.
16 (15) He makes a pit, digs it deep,
and falls into the hole he made.
17 (16) His mischief will return onto his own head,
his violence will recoil onto his own skull.

18 (17) I thank Adonai for his righteousness
and sing praise to the name of Adonai ‘Elyon.

1-2 God! God! I am running to you for dear life;
    the chase is wild.
If they catch me, I’m finished:
    ripped to shreds by foes fierce as lions,
    dragged into the forest and left
    unlooked for, unremembered.

3-5 God, if I’ve done what they say—
    betrayed my friends,
    ripped off my enemies—
If my hands are really that dirty,
    let them get me, walk all over me,
    leave me flat on my face in the dirt.

6-8 Stand up, God; pit your holy fury
    against my furious enemies.
Wake up, God. My accusers have packed
    the courtroom; it’s judgment time.
Take your place on the bench, reach for your gavel,
    throw out the false charges against me.
I’m ready, confident in your verdict:
    “Innocent.”

9-11 Close the book on Evil, God,
    but publish your mandate for us.
You get us ready for life:
    you probe for our soft spots,
    you knock off our rough edges.
And I’m feeling so fit, so safe:
    made right, kept right.
God in solemn honor does things right,
    but his nerves are sandpapered raw.

11-13 Nobody gets by with anything.
    God is already in action—
Sword honed on his whetstone,
    bow strung, arrow on the string,
Lethal weapons in hand,
    each arrow a flaming missile.

14 Look at that guy!
    He had sex with sin,
    he’s pregnant with evil.
Oh, look! He’s having
    the baby—a Lie-Baby!

15-16 See that man shoveling day after day,
    digging, then concealing, his man-trap
    down that lonely stretch of road?
Go back and look again—you’ll see him in it headfirst,
    legs waving in the breeze.
That’s what happens:
    mischief backfires;
    violence boomerangs.

17 I’m thanking God, who makes things right.
I’m singing the fame of heaven-high God.

Psalm 7[a]

A shiggaion[b](A) of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite.

Lord my God, I take refuge(B) in you;
    save and deliver me(C) from all who pursue me,(D)
or they will tear me apart like a lion(E)
    and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue(F) me.

Lord my God, if I have done this
    and there is guilt on my hands(G)
if I have repaid my ally with evil
    or without cause(H) have robbed my foe—
then let my enemy pursue and overtake(I) me;
    let him trample my life to the ground(J)
    and make me sleep in the dust.[c](K)

Arise,(L) Lord, in your anger;
    rise up against the rage of my enemies.(M)
    Awake,(N) my God; decree justice.
Let the assembled peoples gather around you,
    while you sit enthroned over them on high.(O)
    Let the Lord judge(P) the peoples.
Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness,(Q)
    according to my integrity,(R) O Most High.(S)
Bring to an end the violence of the wicked
    and make the righteous secure—(T)
you, the righteous God(U)
    who probes minds and hearts.(V)

10 My shield[d](W) is God Most High,
    who saves the upright in heart.(X)
11 God is a righteous judge,(Y)
    a God who displays his wrath(Z) every day.
12 If he does not relent,(AA)
    he[e] will sharpen his sword;(AB)
    he will bend and string his bow.(AC)
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;
    he makes ready his flaming arrows.(AD)

14 Whoever is pregnant with evil
    conceives trouble and gives birth(AE) to disillusionment.
15 Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out
    falls into the pit(AF) they have made.(AG)
16 The trouble they cause recoils on them;
    their violence comes down on their own heads.

17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;(AH)
    I will sing the praises(AI) of the name of the Lord Most High.(AJ)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 7:1 In Hebrew texts 7:1-17 is numbered 7:2-18.
  2. Psalm 7:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  3. Psalm 7:5 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
  4. Psalm 7:10 Or sovereign
  5. Psalm 7:12 Or If anyone does not repent, / God