Psalm 11-16
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 11
Refuge in the Lord
For the choir director. Davidic.
1 I have taken refuge in the Lord.(A)
How can you say to me,
“Escape to the mountain like a bird![a](B)
2 For look, the wicked string the bow;
they put the[b] arrow on the bowstring
to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.(C)
3 When the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”(D)
4 The Lord is in His holy temple;(E)
the Lord’s throne is in heaven.(F)
His eyes watch; He examines[c] everyone.
5 The Lord examines the righteous and the wicked.
He hates the lover of violence.(G)
6 He will rain burning coals[d] and sulfur on the wicked;
a scorching wind will be their portion.[e](H)
7 For the Lord is righteous; He loves righteous deeds.
The upright will see His face.(I)
Psalm 12
Oppression by the Wicked
For the choir director: according to Sheminith.(J) A Davidic psalm.
1 Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains;
the loyal have disappeared from the human race.(K)
2 They lie to one another;
they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts.(L)
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips
and the tongue that speaks boastfully.(M)
4 They say, “Through our tongues we have power;[f]
our lips are our own—who can be our master?”(N)
5 “Because of the oppression of the afflicted
and the groaning of the poor,
I will now rise up,” says the Lord.
“I will put the one who longs for it in a safe place.”(O)
6 The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in an earthen furnace,
purified seven times.(P)
7 You, Lord, will guard us;[g]
You will protect us[h] from this generation forever.(Q)
8 The wicked wander[i] everywhere,
and what is worthless is exalted by the human race.(R)
Psalm 13
A Plea for Deliverance
For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.
1 Lord, how long will You forget me?
Forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?(S)
2 How long will I store up anxious concerns[j] within me,
agony in my mind every day?
How long will my enemy dominate me?(T)
3 Consider me and answer, Lord my God.
Restore brightness to my eyes;(U)
otherwise, I will sleep in death.
4 My enemy will say, “I have triumphed over him,”
and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.(V)
5 But I have trusted in Your faithful love;(W)
my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance.(X)
6 I will sing to the Lord
because He has treated me generously.(Y)
Psalm 14
A Portrait of Sinners
For the choir director. Davidic.
1 The fool says in his heart, “God does not exist.”(Z)
They are corrupt; they do vile deeds.
There is no one who does good.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the human race(AA)
to see if there is one who is wise,
one who seeks God.
3 All have turned away;
all alike have become corrupt.
There is no one who does good,
not even one.[k](AB)
4 Will evildoers never understand?
They consume My people as they consume bread;(AC)
they do not call on the Lord.(AD)
5 Then[l] they will be filled with terror,
for God is with those who are[m] righteous.(AE)
6 You sinners frustrate the plans of the afflicted,(AF)
but the Lord is his refuge.(AG)
7 Oh, that Israel’s deliverance would come from Zion!
When the Lord restores the fortunes of His people,[n]
Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.[o](AH)
Psalm 15
A Description of the Godly
A Davidic psalm.
2 The one who lives honestly, practices righteousness,
and acknowledges the truth in his heart(AK)—
3 who does not slander with his tongue,(AL)
who does not harm his friend
or discredit his neighbor,(AM)
4 who despises the one rejected by the Lord[p]
but honors those who fear the Lord,(AN)
who keeps his word whatever the cost,(AO)
5 who does not lend his money at interest(AP)
or take a bribe against the innocent(AQ)—
the one who does these things will never be moved.(AR)
Psalm 16
Confidence in the Lord
A Davidic Miktam.(AS)
1 Protect me, God, for I take refuge in You.(AT)
2 I[q] said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord;
I have nothing good besides You.”[r](AU)
3 As for the holy people who are in the land,(AV)
they are the noble ones.
All my delight is in them.
4 The sorrows of those who take another god
for themselves will multiply;
I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
and I will not speak their names with my lips.(AW)
5 Lord, You are my portion[s]
and my cup of blessing;
You hold my future.(AX)
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me
in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.(AY)
7 I will praise the Lord who counsels me(AZ)—
even at night my conscience instructs me.(BA)
8 I keep the Lord in mind[t] always.
Because He is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.(BB)
9 Therefore my heart is glad
and my spirit rejoices;
my body also rests securely.(BC)
10 For You will not abandon me to Sheol;(BD)
You will not allow Your Faithful One to see decay.(BE)
11 You reveal the path of life to me;
in Your presence is abundant joy;(BF)
in Your right hand are eternal pleasures.(BG)
Footnotes
- Psalm 11:1 Lit to your mountain, bird
- Psalm 11:2 Lit their
- Psalm 11:4 Lit His eyelids examine
- Psalm 11:6 Sym; MT reads rain snares, fire
- Psalm 11:6 Lit be the portion of their cup
- Psalm 12:4 Lit That say, “By our tongues we are strengthened
- Psalm 12:7 Some Hb mss, LXX, Jer; other Hb mss read them
- Psalm 12:7 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss read him
- Psalm 12:8 Lit walk about
- Psalm 13:2 Or up counsels
- Psalm 14:3 Some Hb mss, some LXX mss add the material found in Rm 3:13-18.
- Psalm 14:5 Or There
- Psalm 14:5 Lit with the generation of the
- Psalm 14:7 Or restores His captive people
- Psalm 14:7 Or let Jacob rejoice; let Israel be glad.
- Psalm 15:4 Lit in his eyes the rejected is despised
- Psalm 16:2 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Jer; other Hb mss read You
- Psalm 16:2 Or “Lord, my good; there is none besides You.”
- Psalm 16:5 Or allotted portion
- Psalm 16:8 Lit front of me
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