Psalm 7
Prayer for Justice
A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.
1 Lord my God, I seek refuge in you;(A)
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,(B)
2 or they[a] will tear me like a lion,
ripping me apart with no one to rescue me.(C)
3 Lord my God, if I have done this,
if there is injustice on my hands,(D)
4 if I have done harm to one at peace with me(E)
or have plundered[b] my adversary without cause,(F)
5 may an enemy pursue and overtake me;
may he trample me to the ground(G)
and leave my honor in the dust.(H)Selah
6 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)
7 Let the assembly of peoples gather around you;(L)
take your seat on high over it.(M)
8 The Lord judges the peoples;(N)
vindicate me, Lord,
according to my righteousness and my integrity.(O)
9 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
- 7:2 Lit he
- 7:4 Or me and have spared
- 7:6 LXX reads awake, Lord my God
- 7:9 Lit examines hearts and kidneys
Cross references
- 7:1 : Ps 11:1; 31:1; 71:1
- 7:1 : Ps 31:15
- 7:2 : Ps 57:4; Is 5:29
- 7:3 : 1Sm 24:11
- 7:4 : Ps 55:20
- 7:4 : 1Sm 24:11; 26:18
- 7:5 : Am 2:7
- 7:3–5 : Jb 31:5–40
- 7:6 : Ps 3:7; 17:13
- 7:6 : Ps 59:4
- 7:6 : Jr 15:3
- 7:7 : Ps 22:27
- 7:7 : Ps 68:18
- 7:8 : Ps 96:13; 98:9
- 7:8 : Ps 26:1; 35:24; 43:1
- 7:9 : Ps 94:23
- 7:9 : Is 9:7
- 7:9 : Heb 4:12
- 7:10 : 2Sm 22:3; Ps 18:2; 144:2
- 7:10 : Ps 36:10
- 7:11 : Ps 9:4; Is 11:4
- 7:12 : Nm 22:23; Dt 32:41
- 7:12 : Ps 37:14
- 7:13 : Ps 18:14; 45:5; 64:7; 144:6
- 7:14 : Jb 15:35; Is 59:4; Jms 1:15
- 7:15 : Ps 9:15; 57:6; Pr 26:27; 28:10
- 7:16 : 1Sm 25:39; 1Kg 2:33; Est 9:25
- 7:17 : Ps 9:2; 71:15–16