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Psalm 17-20
Common English Bible
Psalm 17-20
Common English Bible
Psalm 17
A prayer of David.
17 Listen to what’s right, Lord;
pay attention to my cry!
Listen closely to my prayer;
it’s spoken by lips that don’t lie!
2 My justice comes from you;
let your eyes see what is right!
3 You have examined my heart,
testing me at night.
You’ve looked me over closely,
but haven’t found anything wrong.
My mouth doesn’t sin.
4 But these other people’s deeds?
I have avoided such violent ways
by the command from your lips.
5 My steps are set firmly on your paths;
my feet haven’t slipped.
6 I cry out to you because you answer me.
So tilt your ears toward me now—
listen to what I’m saying!
7 Manifest your faithful love in amazing ways
because you are the one
who saves those who take refuge in you,
saving them from their attackers
by your strong hand.
8 Watch me with the very pupil of your eye!
Hide me in the protection of your wings,
9 away from the wicked
who are out to get me,
away from my deadly enemies
who are all around me!
10 They have no pity;[a]
their mouths speak arrogantly.
11 They track me down—
suddenly, they surround me!
They make their plans to put me in the dirt.
12 They are like a lion eager to rip its prey;
they are like a strong young lion lying in wait.
13 Get up, Lord!
Confront them!
Bring them down!
Rescue my life from the wicked—
use your sword!
14 Rescue me from these people—
use your own hands, Lord!
Rescue me from these people
whose only possession is their fleeting life.[b]
But fill the stomachs of your cherished ones;
let their children be filled full
so that they have leftovers enough for their babies.
15 But me? I will see your face in righteousness;
when I awake, I will be filled full by seeing your image.
Psalm 18[c]
For the music leader. Of David the Lord’s servant, who spoke the words of this song to the Lord after the Lord delivered him from the power of all his enemies and from Saul.
18 He said: I love you, Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my solid rock,
my fortress, my rescuer.
My God is my rock—
I take refuge in him!—
he’s my shield,
my salvation’s strength,
my place of safety.
3 Because he is praiseworthy,[d]
I cried out to the Lord,
and I was saved from my enemies.
4 Death’s cords were wrapped around me;
rivers of wickedness terrified me.
5 The cords of the grave[e] surrounded me;
death’s traps held me tight.
6 In my distress I cried out to the Lord;
I called to my God for help.
God heard my voice from his temple;
I called to him for help,
and my call reached his ears.
7 The earth rocked and shook;
the bases of the mountains trembled and reeled
because of God’s anger.
8 Smoke went up from God’s nostrils;
out of his mouth came a devouring fire;
flaming coals blazed out in front of him!
9 God parted the skies and came down;
thick darkness was beneath his feet.
10 God mounted the heavenly creatures and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
11 God made darkness cloak him;
his covering was dark water and dense cloud.
12 God’s clouds went ahead
of the brightness before him;
hail and coals of fire went too.
13 The Lord thundered in heaven;
the Most High made his voice heard
with hail and coals of fire.
14 God shot his arrows, scattering the enemy;
he sent the lightning and threw them into confusion.
15 The seabeds were exposed;
the earth’s foundations were laid bare
at your rebuke, Lord,
at the angry blast of air coming from your nostrils.
16 From on high God reached down and grabbed me;
he took me out of all that water.
17 God saved me from my powerful enemy,
saved me from my foes,
who were too much for me.
18 They came at me on the very day of my distress,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out to wide-open spaces;
he pulled me out safe
because he is pleased with me.
20 The Lord rewarded me for my righteousness;
he restored me because my hands are clean,
21 because I have kept the Lord’s ways.
I haven’t acted wickedly against my God.
22 All his rules are right in front of me;
I haven’t turned away from any of his laws.
23 I have lived with integrity before him;
I’ve kept myself from wrongdoing.
24 And so the Lord restored me for my righteousness
because my hands are clean in his eyes.
25 You deal faithfully with the faithful;
you show integrity
toward the one who has integrity.
26 You are pure toward the pure,
but toward the crooked, you are tricky.
27 You are the one who saves people who suffer
and brings down those with proud eyes.
28 You are the one who lights my lamp—
the Lord my God illumines my darkness.
29 With you I can charge into battle;
with my God I can leap over a wall.
30 God! His way is perfect;
the Lord’s word is tried and true.
He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
31 Now really, who is divine except the Lord?
And who is a rock but our God?
32 Only God! The God who equips me with strength
and makes my way perfect,
33 who makes my step as sure as the deer’s,
who lets me stand securely on the heights,
34 who trains my hands for war
so my arms can bend a bronze bow.
35 You’ve given me the shield of your salvation;
your strong hand has supported me;
your help has made me great.
36 You’ve let me walk fast and safe,
without even twisting an ankle.
37 I chased my enemies and caught them!
I didn’t come home until I finished them off.
38 I struck them down;
they couldn’t get up again;
they fell under my feet.
39 You equipped me with strength for war;
you brought my adversaries down underneath me.
40 You made my enemies turn tail from me;
I destroyed my foes.
41 They cried for help,
but there was no one to save them.
They cried for help to the Lord,
but he wouldn’t answer them.
42 I crushed them
like dust blown away by the wind;
I threw them out
like mud dumped in the streets.
43 You delivered me from struggles with many people;
you appointed me the leader of many nations.
Strangers come to serve me.
44 After hearing about me, they obey me;
foreigners grovel before me.
45 Foreigners lose their nerve;
they come trembling out of their fortresses.[f]
46 The Lord lives! Bless God, my rock!
Let the God of my salvation be lifted high!
47 This is the God who avenges on my behalf,
who subdues people before me,
48 who delivers me from my enemies.
Yes, you lifted me high above my adversaries;
you delivered me from violent people.
49 That’s why I thank you, Lord,
in the presence of the nations.
That’s why I sing praises to your name.
50 You are the one who gives great victories to your king,
who shows faithful love to your anointed one—
to David and to his descendants forever.
Psalm 19
For the music leader. A psalm of David.
19 Heaven is declaring God’s glory;
the sky is proclaiming his handiwork.
2 One day gushes the news to the next,
and one night informs another what needs to be known.
3 Of course, there’s no speech, no words—
their voices can’t be heard—
4 but their sound[g] extends throughout the world;
their words reach the ends of the earth.
God has made a tent in heaven for the sun.
5 The sun is like a groom
coming out of his honeymoon suite;
like a warrior, it thrills at running its course.
6 It rises in one end of the sky;
its circuit is complete at the other.
Nothing escapes its heat.
7 The Lord’s Instruction is perfect,
reviving one’s very being.[h]
The Lord’s laws are faithful,
making naive people wise.
8 The Lord’s regulations are right,
gladdening the heart.
The Lord’s commands are pure,
giving light to the eyes.
9 Honoring the Lord is correct,
lasting forever.
The Lord’s judgments are true.
All of these are righteous!
10 They are more desirable than gold—
than tons of pure gold!
They are sweeter than honey—
even dripping off the honeycomb!
11 No doubt about it:
your servant is enlightened by them;
there is great reward in keeping them.
12 But can anyone know
what they’ve accidentally done wrong?
Clear me of any unknown sin
13 and save your servant from willful sins.
Don’t let them rule me.
Then I’ll be completely blameless;
I’ll be innocent of great wrongdoing.
14 Let the words of my mouth
and the meditations of my heart
be pleasing to you,
Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 20
For the music leader. A psalm of David.
20 I pray that the Lord answers you
whenever you are in trouble.
Let the name of Jacob’s God protect you.
2 Let God send help to you from the sanctuary
and support you from Zion.
3 Let God recall your many grain offerings;
let him savor your entirely burned offerings. Selah
4 Let God grant what is in your heart
and fulfill all your plans.
5 Then we will rejoice that you’ve been helped.
We will fly our flags in the name of our God.
Let the Lord fulfill all your requests!
6 Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed one;
God answers his anointed one
from his heavenly sanctuary,
answering with mighty acts of salvation
achieved by his strong hand.
7 Some people trust in chariots, others in horses;
but we praise the Lord’s name.
8 They will collapse and fall,
but we will stand up straight and strong.
9 Lord, save the king!
Let him answer us when we cry out!
Footnotes
- Psalm 17:10 Heb uncertain
- Psalm 17:14 Heb uncertain
- Psalm 18:1 This poem also occurs in 2 Sam 22 with some variations.
- Psalm 18:3 Heb uncertain
- Psalm 18:5 Heb Sheol
- Psalm 18:45 Or prisons
- Psalm 19:4 LXX, Vulg, Sym; MT line or string
- Psalm 19:7 Or soul
Psalm 17-20
New International Version
Psalm 17-20
New International Version
Psalm 17
A prayer of David.
1 Hear me,(A) Lord, my plea is just;
listen to my cry.(B)
Hear(C) my prayer—
it does not rise from deceitful lips.(D)
2 Let my vindication(E) come from you;
may your eyes see what is right.(F)
3 Though you probe my heart,(G)
though you examine me at night and test me,(H)
you will find that I have planned no evil;(I)
my mouth has not transgressed.(J)
4 Though people tried to bribe me,
I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
through what your lips have commanded.
5 My steps have held to your paths;(K)
my feet have not stumbled.(L)
6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;(M)
turn your ear to me(N) and hear my prayer.(O)
7 Show me the wonders of your great love,(P)
you who save by your right hand(Q)
those who take refuge(R) in you from their foes.
8 Keep me(S) as the apple of your eye;(T)
hide me(U) in the shadow of your wings(V)
9 from the wicked who are out to destroy me,
from my mortal enemies who surround me.(W)
10 They close up their callous hearts,(X)
and their mouths speak with arrogance.(Y)
11 They have tracked me down, they now surround me,(Z)
with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.
12 They are like a lion(AA) hungry for prey,(AB)
like a fierce lion crouching in cover.
13 Rise up,(AC) Lord, confront them, bring them down;(AD)
with your sword rescue me from the wicked.
14 By your hand save me from such people, Lord,
from those of this world(AE) whose reward is in this life.(AF)
May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies;
may their children gorge themselves on it,
and may there be leftovers(AG) for their little ones.
15 As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face;
when I awake,(AH) I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.(AI)
Psalm 18[a](AJ)
For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:
1 I love you, Lord, my strength.(AK)
2 The Lord is my rock,(AL) my fortress(AM) and my deliverer;(AN)
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,(AO)
my shield[b](AP) and the horn[c] of my salvation,(AQ) my stronghold.
3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,(AR)
and I have been saved from my enemies.(AS)
4 The cords of death(AT) entangled me;
the torrents(AU) of destruction overwhelmed me.
5 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death(AV) confronted me.
6 In my distress(AW) I called to the Lord;(AX)
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;(AY)
my cry came(AZ) before him, into his ears.
7 The earth trembled(BA) and quaked,(BB)
and the foundations of the mountains shook;(BC)
they trembled because he was angry.(BD)
8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;(BE)
consuming fire(BF) came from his mouth,
burning coals(BG) blazed out of it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down;(BH)
dark clouds(BI) were under his feet.
10 He mounted the cherubim(BJ) and flew;
he soared(BK) on the wings of the wind.(BL)
11 He made darkness his covering,(BM) his canopy(BN) around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
12 Out of the brightness of his presence(BO) clouds advanced,
with hailstones(BP) and bolts of lightning.(BQ)
13 The Lord thundered(BR) from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.[d]
14 He shot his arrows(BS) and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning(BT) he routed them.(BU)
15 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations(BV) of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke,(BW) Lord,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.(BX)
16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.(BY)
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,(BZ)
from my foes, who were too strong for me.(CA)
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,(CB)
but the Lord was my support.(CC)
19 He brought me out into a spacious place;(CD)
he rescued me because he delighted in me.(CE)
20 The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;(CF)
according to the cleanness of my hands(CG) he has rewarded me.(CH)
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord;(CI)
I am not guilty of turning(CJ) from my God.
22 All his laws are before me;(CK)
I have not turned away from his decrees.
23 I have been blameless(CL) before him
and have kept myself from sin.
24 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,(CM)
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25 To the faithful(CN) you show yourself faithful,(CO)
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
26 to the pure(CP) you show yourself pure,
but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.(CQ)
27 You save the humble(CR)
but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.(CS)
28 You, Lord, keep my lamp(CT) burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.(CU)
29 With your help(CV) I can advance against a troop[e];
with my God I can scale a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect:(CW)
The Lord’s word is flawless;(CX)
he shields(CY) all who take refuge(CZ) in him.
31 For who is God besides the Lord?(DA)
And who is the Rock(DB) except our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength(DC)
and keeps my way secure.(DD)
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;(DE)
he causes me to stand on the heights.(DF)
34 He trains my hands for battle;(DG)
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You make your saving help my shield,
and your right hand sustains(DH) me;
your help has made me great.
36 You provide a broad path(DI) for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way.(DJ)
37 I pursued my enemies(DK) and overtook them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
38 I crushed them(DL) so that they could not rise;(DM)
they fell beneath my feet.(DN)
39 You armed me with strength(DO) for battle;
you humbled my adversaries(DP) before me.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs(DQ) in flight,
and I destroyed(DR) my foes.
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them(DS)—
to the Lord, but he did not answer.(DT)
42 I beat them as fine as windblown dust;(DU)
I trampled them[f] like mud in the streets.
43 You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
you have made me the head of nations.(DV)
People I did not know(DW) now serve me,
44 foreigners(DX) cower before me;
as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
45 They all lose heart;(DY)
they come trembling(DZ) from their strongholds.(EA)
46 The Lord lives!(EB) Praise be to my Rock!(EC)
Exalted be God(ED) my Savior!(EE)
47 He is the God who avenges(EF) me,
who subdues nations(EG) under me,
48 who saves(EH) me from my enemies.(EI)
You exalted me above my foes;
from a violent man(EJ) you rescued me.
49 Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;(EK)
I will sing(EL) the praises of your name.(EM)
50 He gives his king great victories;
he shows unfailing love to his anointed,(EN)
to David(EO) and to his descendants forever.(EP)
Psalm 19[g]
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 The heavens(EQ) declare(ER) the glory of God;(ES)
the skies(ET) proclaim the work of his hands.(EU)
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.(EV)
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice[h] goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.(EW)
In the heavens God has pitched a tent(EX) for the sun.(EY)
5 It is like a bridegroom(EZ) coming out of his chamber,(FA)
like a champion(FB) rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens(FC)
and makes its circuit to the other;(FD)
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
7 The law of the Lord(FE) is perfect,(FF)
refreshing the soul.(FG)
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,(FH)
making wise the simple.(FI)
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,(FJ)
giving joy(FK) to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.(FL)
9 The fear of the Lord(FM) is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.(FN)
10 They are more precious than gold,(FO)
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,(FP)
than honey from the honeycomb.(FQ)
11 By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.(FR)
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;(FS)
may they not rule over me.(FT)
Then I will be blameless,(FU)
innocent of great transgression.
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing(FV) in your sight,
Lord, my Rock(FW) and my Redeemer.(FX)
Psalm 20[i]
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;(FY)
may the name of the God of Jacob(FZ) protect you.(GA)
2 May he send you help(GB) from the sanctuary(GC)
and grant you support(GD) from Zion.(GE)
3 May he remember(GF) all your sacrifices
and accept your burnt offerings.[j](GG)
4 May he give you the desire of your heart(GH)
and make all your plans succeed.(GI)
5 May we shout for joy(GJ) over your victory
and lift up our banners(GK) in the name of our God.
May the Lord grant all your requests.(GL)
6 Now this I know:
The Lord gives victory to his anointed.(GM)
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
with the victorious power of his right hand.(GN)
7 Some trust in chariots(GO) and some in horses,(GP)
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.(GQ)
8 They are brought to their knees and fall,(GR)
but we rise up(GS) and stand firm.(GT)
9 Lord, give victory to the king!
Answer us(GU) when we call!
Footnotes
- Psalm 18:1 In Hebrew texts 18:1-50 is numbered 18:2-51.
- Psalm 18:2 Or sovereign
- Psalm 18:2 Horn here symbolizes strength.
- Psalm 18:13 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (see also 2 Samuel 22:14); most Hebrew manuscripts resounded, / amid hailstones and bolts of lightning
- Psalm 18:29 Or can run through a barricade
- Psalm 18:42 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac and Targum (see also 2 Samuel 22:43); Masoretic Text I poured them out
- Psalm 19:1 In Hebrew texts 19:1-14 is numbered 19:2-15.
- Psalm 19:4 Septuagint, Jerome and Syriac; Hebrew measuring line
- Psalm 20:1 In Hebrew texts 20:1-9 is numbered 20:2-10.
- Psalm 20:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.