11

For the Chief Musician. By David.

1In Yahweh, I take refuge.

How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”?

2For, behold, the wicked bend their bows.

They set their arrows on the strings,

that they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.

3If the foundations are destroyed,

what can the righteous do?

4Yahweh is in his holy temple.

Yahweh is on his throne in heaven.

His eyes observe.

His eyes examine the children of men.

5Yahweh examines the righteous,

but his soul hates the wicked and him who loves violence.

6On the wicked he will rain blazing coals;

fire, sulfur, and scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.

7For Yahweh is righteous.

He loves righteousness.

The upright shall see his face.

12

For the Chief Musician; upon an eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm of David.

1Help, Yahweh; for the godly man ceases.

For the faithful fail from among the children of men.

2Everyone lies to his neighbor.

They speak with flattering lips, and with a double heart.

3May Yahweh cut off all flattering lips,

and the tongue that boasts,

4who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail.

Our lips are our own.

Who is lord over us?”

5“Because of the oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy,

I will now arise,” says Yahweh;

“I will set him in safety from those who malign him.”

6Yahweh’s words are flawless words,

as silver refined in a clay furnace, purified seven times.

7You will keep them, Yahweh.

You will preserve them from this generation forever.

8The wicked walk on every side,

when what is vile is exalted among the sons of men.

13

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David.

1How long, Yahweh?

Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

2How long shall I take counsel in my soul,

having sorrow in my heart every day?

How long shall my enemy triumph over me?

3Behold, and answer me, Yahweh, my God.

Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death;

4lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him;”

lest my adversaries rejoice when I fall.

5But I trust in your loving kindness.

My heart rejoices in your salvation.

6I will sing to Yahweh,

because he has been good to me.

14

For the Chief Musician. By David.

1The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”

They are corrupt.

They have done abominable deeds.

There is no one who does good.

2Yahweh looked down from heaven on the children of men,

to see if there were any who understood,

who sought after God.

3They have all gone aside.

They have together become corrupt.

There is no one who does good, no, not one.

4Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge,

who eat up my people as they eat bread,

and don’t call on Yahweh?

5There they were in great fear,

for God is in the generation of the righteous.

6You frustrate the plan of the poor,

because Yahweh is his refuge.

7Oh that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!

When Yahweh restores the fortunes of his people,

then Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

15

A Psalm by David.

1Yahweh, who shall dwell in your sanctuary?

Who shall live on your holy hill?

2He who walks blamelessly and does what is right,

and speaks truth in his heart;

3he who doesn’t slander with his tongue,

nor does evil to his friend,

nor casts slurs against his fellow man;

4in whose eyes a vile man is despised,

but who honors those who fear Yahweh;

he who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and doesn’t change;

5he who doesn’t lend out his money for usury,

nor take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things shall never be shaken.

16

A Poem by David.

1Preserve me, God, for I take refuge in you.

2My soul, you have said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord.

Apart from you I have no good thing.”

3As for the saints who are in the earth,

they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.

4Their sorrows shall be multiplied who give gifts to another god.

Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer,

nor take their names on my lips.

5Yahweh assigned my portion and my cup.

You made my lot secure.

6The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places.

Yes, I have a good inheritance.

7I will bless Yahweh, who has given me counsel.

Yes, my heart instructs me in the night seasons.

8I have set Yahweh always before me.

Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

9Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices.

My body shall also dwell in safety.

10For you will not leave my soul in Sheol,

neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption.

11You will show me the path of life.

In your presence is fullness of joy.

In your right hand there are pleasures forever more.

17

A Prayer by David.

1Hear, Yahweh, my righteous plea.

Give ear to my prayer that doesn’t go out of deceitful lips.

2Let my sentence come out of your presence.

Let your eyes look on equity.

3You have proved my heart.

You have visited me in the night.

You have tried me, and found nothing.

I have resolved that my mouth shall not disobey.

4As for the deeds of men, by the word of your lips,

I have kept myself from the ways of the violent.

5My steps have held fast to your paths.

My feet have not slipped.

6I have called on you, for you will answer me, God.

Turn your ear to me.

Hear my speech.

7Show your marvelous loving kindness,

you who save those who take refuge by your right hand from their enemies.

8Keep me as the apple of your eye.

Hide me under the shadow of your wings,

9from the wicked who oppress me,

my deadly enemies, who surround me.

10They close up their callous hearts.

With their mouth they speak proudly.

11They have now surrounded us in our steps.

They set their eyes to cast us down to the earth.

12He is like a lion that is greedy of his prey,

as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.

13Arise, Yahweh, confront him.

Cast him down.

Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,

14from men by your hand, Yahweh,

from men of the world, whose portion is in this life.

You fill the belly of your cherished ones.

Your sons have plenty,

and they store up wealth for their children.

15As for me, I shall see your face in righteousness.

I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with seeing your form.

18

For the Chief Musician. By David the servant of Yahweh, who spoke to Yahweh the words of this song in the day that Yahweh delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said,

1I love you, Yahweh, my strength.

2Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer;

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.

3I call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised;

and I am saved from my enemies.

4The cords of death surrounded me.

The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

5The cords of Sheol were around me.

The snares of death came on me.

6In my distress I called on Yahweh,

and cried to my God.

He heard my voice out of his temple.

My cry before him came into his ears.

7Then the earth shook and trembled.

The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken,

because he was angry.

8Smoke went out of his nostrils.

Consuming fire came out of his mouth.

Coals were kindled by it.

9He bowed the heavens also, and came down.

Thick darkness was under his feet.

10He rode on a cherub, and flew.

Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.

11He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion around him,

darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

12At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed,

hailstones and coals of fire.

13Yahweh also thundered in the sky.

The Most High uttered his voice:

hailstones and coals of fire.

14He sent out his arrows, and scattered them.

He routed them with great lightning bolts.

15Then the channels of waters appeared.

The foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, Yahweh,

at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

16He sent from on high.

He took me.

He drew me out of many waters.

17He delivered me from my strong enemy,

from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.

18They came on me in the day of my calamity,

but Yahweh was my support.

19He brought me out also into a large place.

He delivered me, because he delighted in me.

20Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness.

According to the cleanness of my hands, he has recompensed me.

21For I have kept the ways of Yahweh,

and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22For all his ordinances were before me.

I didn’t put away his statutes from me.

23I was also blameless with him.

I kept myself from my iniquity.

24Therefore Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

25With the merciful you will show yourself merciful.

With the perfect man, you will show yourself perfect.

26With the pure, you will show yourself pure.

With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.

27For you will save the afflicted people,

but the arrogant eyes you will bring down.

28For you will light my lamp, Yahweh.

My God will light up my darkness.

29For by you, I advance through a troop.

By my God, I leap over a wall.

30As for God, his way is perfect.

Yahweh’s word is tried.

He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.

31For who is God, except Yahweh?

Who is a rock, besides our God,

32the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect?

33He makes my feet like deer’s feet,

and sets me on my high places.

34He teaches my hands to war,

so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.

35You have also given me the shield of your salvation.

Your right hand sustains me.

Your gentleness has made me great.

36You have enlarged my steps under me,

My feet have not slipped.

37I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them.

I won’t turn away until they are consumed.

38I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise.

They shall fall under my feet.

39For you have armed me with strength to the battle.

You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

40You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me,

that I might cut off those who hate me.

41They cried, but there was no one to save;

even to Yahweh, but he didn’t answer them.

42Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind.

I cast them out as the mire of the streets.

43You have delivered me from the strivings of the people.

You have made me the head of the nations.

A people whom I have not known shall serve me.

44As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me.

The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.

45The foreigners shall fade away,

and shall come trembling out of their strongholds.

46Yahweh lives! Blessed be my rock.

Exalted be the God of my salvation,

47even the God who executes vengeance for me,

and subdues peoples under me.

48He rescues me from my enemies.

Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me.

You deliver me from the violent man.

49Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations,

and will sing praises to your name.

50He gives great deliverance to his king,

and shows loving kindness to his anointed,

to David and to his offspring, forever more.