Psalm 11-16

New American Standard Bible

The Lord, a Refuge and Defense.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

11 In the Lord I ^(A)take refuge;
How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your ^(B)mountain?
²For, behold, the wicked ^(C)bend the bow,
They have ^[a]^(D)set their arrow on the string
To ^(E)shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
³If the ^(F)foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?”

⁴The Lord is in His ^(G)holy temple; the ^[b]Lord’s ^(H)throne is in heaven;
His ^(I)eyes see, His eyelids test the sons of mankind.
⁵The Lord ^(J)tests the righteous and ^(K)the wicked,
And His soul hates one who loves violence.
⁶He will ^(L)rain ^[c]coals of fire upon the wicked,
^(M)And brimstone and ^(N)burning wind will be the portion of ^(O)their cup.
⁷For the Lord is ^(P)righteous, ^(Q)He loves ^[d]righteousness;
The upright will ^(R)see His face.

God, a Helper against the Treacherous.

For the music director; ^[e]upon an eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm of David.

12 Help, Lord, for ^(S)the godly person has come to an end,
For the faithful have disappeared from the sons of mankind.
²They ^(T)speak ^[f]lies to one another;
They speak with ^[g]^(U)flattering lips and a double heart.
³May the Lord cut off all ^[h]flattering lips,
The tongue that ^(V)speaks great things;
⁴Who ^(W)have said, “With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are ^[i]our own; who is lord over us?”
⁵“Because of the ^(X)devastation of the poor, because of the groaning of the needy,
Now ^(Y)I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will ^(Z)put him in the safety for which he longs.”

⁶The ^(AA)words of the Lord are pure words;
Like silver ^(AB)refined in a furnace on the ground, filtered seven times.
⁷You, Lord, will keep them;
You will ^(AC)protect him from this generation forever.
⁸The ^(AD)wicked strut about on every side
When ^[j]^(AE)vileness is exalted among the sons of mankind.

Prayer for Help in Trouble.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

13 How long, Lord? Will You ^(AF)forget me forever?
How long ^(AG)will You hide Your face from me?
²How long am I to ^(AH)feel anxious in my soul,
With ^(AI)grief in my heart all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

³^(AJ)Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
^(AK)Enlighten my eyes, or I will ^(AL)sleep the sleep of death,
⁴And my enemy will ^(AM)say, “I have overcome him,”
And ^(AN)my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.

⁵But I have ^(AO)trusted in Your faithfulness;
My heart shall ^(AP)rejoice in Your salvation.
⁶I will ^(AQ)sing to the Lord,
Because He has ^(AR)looked after me.

Foolishness and Wickedness of People.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

14 The fool has ^(AS)said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they have committed detestable acts;
There is ^(AT)no one who does good.
²The Lord has ^(AU)looked down from heaven upon the sons of mankind
To see if there are any who ^[k]^(AV)understand,
Who ^(AW)seek God.
³They have all ^(AX)turned aside, together they are corrupt;
There is ^(AY)no one who does good, not even one.

⁴Do all the workers of injustice ^(AZ)not know,
Who ^(BA)devour my people as they eat bread,
And ^(BB)do not call upon the Lord?
⁵There they are in great dread,
For God is with a ^(BC)righteous generation.
⁶You would put to shame the plan of the poor,
But the Lord is his ^(BD)refuge.

⁷Oh, that ^(BE)the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord ^(BF)restores the fortunes of His people,
Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad.

Description of a Citizen of Zion.

A Psalm of David.

15 Lord, who may reside ^(BG)in Your tent?
Who may settle on Your ^(BH)holy hill?
²One who ^(BI)walks with integrity, practices righteousness,
And ^(BJ)speaks truth in his heart.
³He ^(BK)does not slander ^[l]with his tongue,
Nor ^(BL)do evil to his neighbor,
Nor ^(BM)bring shame on his friend;
⁴A despicable person is despised in his eyes,
But he ^(BN)honors those who fear the Lord;
He ^(BO)takes an oath to his own detriment, and does not change;
⁵He ^(BP)does not ^[m]lend his money ^[n]at interest,
Nor ^(BQ)does he take a bribe against the innocent.
^(BR)One who does these things will never be shaken.

The Lord, the Psalmist’s Portion in Life and Salvation in Death.

A ^[o]Mikhtam of David.

16 ^(BS)Protect me, God, for ^(BT)I take refuge in You.
²^[p]I said to the Lord, “You are ^[q]my Lord;
I ^(BU)have nothing good besides You.”
³As for the ^[r]^(BV)saints who are on the earth,
^[s]They are the majestic ones; ^(BW)all my delight is in them.
⁴^[t]The ^(BX)pains of those who have acquired another god will be multiplied;
I will not pour out their drink offerings of ^(BY)blood,
Nor will I ^(BZ)take their names upon my lips.

⁵The Lord is the ^(CA)portion of my inheritance and my ^(CB)cup;
You support my ^(CC)lot.
⁶The measuring ^(CD)lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my inheritance is ^(CE)beautiful to me.

⁷I will bless the Lord who has ^(CF)advised me;
Indeed, my ^[u]^(CG)mind instructs me in the night.
⁸^(CH)I have ^(CI)set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is ^(CJ)at my right hand, ^(CK)I will not be shaken.
⁹Therefore ^(CL)my heart is glad and ^(CM)my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will ^(CN)dwell securely.
¹⁰For You ^(CO)will not abandon my soul to ^[v]Sheol;
You will not ^[w]^(CP)allow Your ^[x]Holy One to ^[y]undergo decay.
¹¹You will make known to me ^(CQ)the way of life;
In ^(CR)Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are ^(CS)pleasures forever.