The Lord Implored to Defend the Psalmist against the Wicked.
A [a]Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord [b]concerning Cush, a Benjaminite.
7 O Lord my God, (A)in You I have taken refuge;
Save me from all those who pursue me, and (B)rescue me,
2 Or he will tear [c]my soul (C)like a lion,
Dragging me away, while there is no one to rescue me.
3 O Lord my God, if I have done this,
If there is (D)injustice in my hands,
4 If I have (E)done evil to [d]my friend,
Or have (F)plundered [e]my enemy for no reason,
5 Let the enemy pursue [f]my soul and overtake [g]it;
And let him trample my life to the ground
And lay my glory in the dust. Selah
6 (G)Arise, Lord, in Your anger;
(H)Raise Yourself against (I)the rage of my enemies,
And (J)stir Yourself [h]for me; You have ordered judgment.
7 Let the assembly of the (K)peoples encompass You,
And return on high over it.
8 The Lord (L)judges the peoples;
[i](M)Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.
9 Please let (N)the evil of the wicked come to an end, but (O)establish the righteous;
For the righteous God (P)puts hearts and [j]minds to the test.
10 My (Q)shield is [k]with God,
Who (R)saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a (S)righteous judge,
And a God who (T)shows indignation every day.
12 If one (U)does not repent, He will (V)sharpen His sword;
He has (W)bent His bow and taken aim.
13 He has also prepared deadly weapons for Himself;
He makes His (X)arrows fiery shafts.
14 Behold, an evil person is pregnant with injustice,
And he (Y)conceives harm and gives birth to lies.
15 He has dug a pit and hollowed it out,
And has (Z)fallen into the hole which he made.
16 His (AA)harm will return on his own head,
And his (AB)violence will descend on the top of his own head.
17 I will give thanks to the Lord (AC)according to His righteousness
And will (AD)sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
Footnotes
- Psalm 7 Title I.e., Dithyrambic rhythm; or wild, passionate song
- Psalm 7 Title Or concerning the words of
- Psalm 7:2 Or me
- Psalm 7:4 Lit him who was at peace with me
- Psalm 7:4 Or him who for no reason was my enemy,
- Psalm 7:5 Or me
- Psalm 7:5 Or me
- Psalm 7:6 One ancient version reads O my God
- Psalm 7:8 Lit Judge
- Psalm 7:9 Lit kidneys, figurative for inner man
- Psalm 7:10 Lit upon
Cross references
- Psalm 7:1 : Ps 31:1; 71:1
- Psalm 7:1 : Ps 31:15
- Psalm 7:2 : Ps 57:4; Is 38:13
- Psalm 7:3 : 1 Sam 24:11
- Psalm 7:4 : Ps 109:4, 5
- Psalm 7:4 : 1 Sam 24:7; 26:9
- Psalm 7:6 : Ps 3:7
- Psalm 7:6 : Ps 94:2
- Psalm 7:6 : Ps 138:7
- Psalm 7:6 : Ps 35:23; 44:23
- Psalm 7:7 : Ps 22:27
- Psalm 7:8 : Ps 96:13; 98:9
- Psalm 7:8 : Ps 18:20; 26:1; 35:24; 43:1
- Psalm 7:9 : Ps 34:21; 94:23
- Psalm 7:9 : Ps 37:23; 40:2
- Psalm 7:9 : Ps 11:4, 5; Jer 11:20; Rev 2:23
- Psalm 7:10 : Ps 18:2, 30
- Psalm 7:10 : Ps 97:10, 11; 125:4
- Psalm 7:11 : Ps 50:6
- Psalm 7:11 : Ps 90:9
- Psalm 7:12 : Ps 58:5
- Psalm 7:12 : Deut 32:41
- Psalm 7:12 : Ps 64:7
- Psalm 7:13 : Ps 18:14; 45:5
- Psalm 7:14 : Job 15:35; Is 59:4; James 1:15
- Psalm 7:15 : Job 4:8; Ps 57:6
- Psalm 7:16 : Esth 9:25; Ps 140:9
- Psalm 7:16 : Ps 140:11
- Psalm 7:17 : Ps 71:15, 16
- Psalm 7:17 : Ps 9:2; 66:1, 2, 4