Psalm 11

Refuge in the Lord

For the choir director. Davidic.

I have taken refuge in the Lord.(A)
How can you say to me,
“Escape to the mountain like a bird![a](B)
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)
When the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”(D)

The Lord is in His holy temple;(E)
the Lord’s throne is in heaven.(F)
His eyes watch; He examines[c] everyone.
The Lord examines the righteous and the wicked.
He hates the lover of violence.(G)
He will rain burning coals[d] and sulfur on the wicked;
a scorching wind will be their portion.[e](H)
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.

Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains;
the loyal have disappeared from the human race.(K)
They lie to one another;
they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts.(L)
May the Lord cut off all flattering lips
and the tongue that speaks boastfully.(M)
They say, “Through our tongues we have power;[f]
our lips are our own—who can be our master?”(N)

“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)

The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in an earthen furnace,
purified seven times.(P)

You, Lord, will guard us;[g]
You will protect us[h] from this generation forever.(Q)
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.

Lord, how long will You forget me?
Forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?(S)
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)

Consider me and answer, Lord my God.
Restore brightness to my eyes;(U)
otherwise, I will sleep in death.
My enemy will say, “I have triumphed over him,”
and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.(V)

But I have trusted in Your faithful love;(W)
my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance.(X)
I will sing to the Lord
because He has treated me generously.(Y)

Psalm 14

A Portrait of Sinners

For the choir director. Davidic.

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.
The Lord looks down from heaven on the human race(AA)
to see if there is one who is wise,
one who seeks God.
All have turned away;
all alike have become corrupt.
There is no one who does good,
not even one.[k](AB)

Will evildoers never understand?
They consume My people as they consume bread;(AC)
they do not call on the Lord.(AD)

Then[l] they will be filled with terror,
for God is with those who are[m] righteous.(AE)
You sinners frustrate the plans of the afflicted,(AF)
but the Lord is his refuge.(AG)

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.

Lord, who can dwell in Your tent?(AI)
Who can live on Your holy mountain?(AJ)

The one who lives honestly, practices righteousness,
and acknowledges the truth in his heart(AK)
who does not slander with his tongue,(AL)
who does not harm his friend
or discredit his neighbor,(AM)
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)
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)

Protect me, God, for I take refuge in You.(AT)
I[q] said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord;
I have nothing good besides You.”[r](AU)
As for the holy people who are in the land,(AV)
they are the noble ones.
All my delight is in them.
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)

Lord, You are my portion[s]
and my cup of blessing;
You hold my future.(AX)
The boundary lines have fallen for me
in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.(AY)

I will praise the Lord who counsels me(AZ)
even at night my conscience instructs me.(BA)
I keep the Lord in mind[t] always.
Because He is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.(BB)

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

  1. Psalm 11:1 Lit to your mountain, bird
  2. Psalm 11:2 Lit their
  3. Psalm 11:4 Lit His eyelids examine
  4. Psalm 11:6 Sym; MT reads rain snares, fire
  5. Psalm 11:6 Lit be the portion of their cup
  6. Psalm 12:4 Lit That say, “By our tongues we are strengthened
  7. Psalm 12:7 Some Hb mss, LXX, Jer; other Hb mss read them
  8. Psalm 12:7 Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss read him
  9. Psalm 12:8 Lit walk about
  10. Psalm 13:2 Or up counsels
  11. Psalm 14:3 Some Hb mss, some LXX mss add the material found in Rm 3:13-18.
  12. Psalm 14:5 Or There
  13. Psalm 14:5 Lit with the generation of the
  14. Psalm 14:7 Or restores His captive people
  15. Psalm 14:7 Or let Jacob rejoice; let Israel be glad.
  16. Psalm 15:4 Lit in his eyes the rejected is despised
  17. Psalm 16:2 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Jer; other Hb mss read You
  18. Psalm 16:2 Or “Lord, my good; there is none besides You.”
  19. Psalm 16:5 Or allotted portion
  20. Psalm 16:8 Lit front of me

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