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Prayer and Praise for Deliverance from Enemies

A (A)Meditation[a] of David, which he sang to the Lord (B)concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite.

O Lord my God, in You I put my trust;
(C)Save me from all those who persecute me;
And deliver me,
(D)Lest they tear me like a lion,
(E)Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

O Lord my God, (F)if I have done this:
If there is (G)iniquity in my hands,
If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me,
Or (H)have plundered my enemy without cause,
Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me;
Yes, let him trample my life to the earth,
And lay my honor in the dust. Selah

Arise, O Lord, in Your anger;
(I)Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies;
(J)Rise up [b]for me to the judgment You have commanded!
So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You;
For their sakes, therefore, return on high.
The Lord shall judge the peoples;
(K)Judge me, O Lord, (L)according to my righteousness,
And according to my integrity within me.

Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,
But establish the just;
(M)For the righteous God tests the hearts and [c]minds.
10 [d]My defense is of God,
Who saves the (N)upright in heart.

11 God is a just judge,
And God is angry with the wicked every day.
12 If he does not turn back,
He will (O)sharpen His sword;
He bends His bow and makes it ready.
13 He also prepares for Himself instruments of death;
He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.

14 (P)Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity;
Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.
15 He made a pit and dug it out,
(Q)And has fallen into the ditch which he made.
16 (R)His trouble shall return upon his own head,
And his violent dealing shall come down on [e]his own crown.

17 I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 7:1 Heb. Shiggaion
  2. Psalm 7:6 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX O Lord my God
  3. Psalm 7:9 Lit. kidneys, the most secret part of man
  4. Psalm 7:10 Lit. My shield is upon God
  5. Psalm 7:16 The crown of his own head

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.

O Lord my God, (A)in You I have taken refuge;
Save me from all those who pursue me, and (B)rescue me,
Or he will tear [c]my soul (C)like a lion,
Dragging me away, while there is no one to rescue me.

O Lord my God, if I have done this,
If there is (D)injustice in my hands,
If I have (E)done evil to [d]my friend,
Or have (F)plundered [e]my enemy for no reason,
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

(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.
Let the assembly of the (K)peoples encompass You,
And return on high over it.
The Lord (L)judges the peoples;
[i](M)Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.
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

  1. Psalm 7 Title I.e., Dithyrambic rhythm; or wild, passionate song
  2. Psalm 7 Title Or concerning the words of
  3. Psalm 7:2 Or me
  4. Psalm 7:4 Lit him who was at peace with me
  5. Psalm 7:4 Or him who for no reason was my enemy,
  6. Psalm 7:5 Or me
  7. Psalm 7:5 Or me
  8. Psalm 7:6 One ancient version reads O my God
  9. Psalm 7:8 Lit Judge
  10. Psalm 7:9 Lit kidneys, figurative for inner man
  11. Psalm 7:10 Lit upon

The Lord Implored to Defend the Psalmist against the Wicked.

An [a]Ode of David, [perhaps in a wild, irregular, enthusiastic strain,] which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite.

O Lord my God, in You I take refuge;
Save me and rescue me from all those who pursue me,

So that my enemy will not tear me like a lion,
Dragging me away while there is no one to rescue [me].


O Lord my God, if I have done this,
If there is injustice in my hands,

If I have done evil to him who was at peace with me,
Or without cause robbed him who was my enemy,

Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me;
And let him trample my life to the ground
And lay my honor in the dust. Selah.


Arise, O Lord, in Your anger;
Lift up Yourself against the rage of my enemies;
Rise up for me; You have commanded judgment and vindication.

Let the assembly of the nations be gathered around You,
And return on high over them.

The Lord judges the peoples;
Judge me, O Lord, and grant me justice according to my righteousness and according to the integrity within me.

Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous [those in right standing with You];
For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.(A)
10 
My shield and my defense depend on God,
Who saves the upright in heart.
11 
God is a righteous judge,
And a God who is indignant every day.

12 
If a man does not repent, God will sharpen His sword;
He has strung and bent His [mighty] bow and made it ready.
13 
He has also prepared [other] deadly weapons for Himself;
He makes His arrows fiery shafts [aimed at the unrepentant].
14 
Behold, the [wicked and irreverent] man is pregnant with sin,
And he conceives mischief and gives birth to lies.
15 
He has dug a pit and hollowed it out,
And has fallen into the [very] pit which he made [as a trap].
16 
His mischief will return on his own head,
And his violence will come down on the top of his head [like loose dirt].

17 
I will give thanks to the Lord according to His righteousness and justice,
And I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 7:1 Meaning uncertain, perhaps a wild, enthusiastic song. The ancient rabbis connected the Hebrew word to another word of similar spelling meaning “inadvertent sin” or “error,” and maintained that God called David to account for what he said in 6:10. He had in essence cursed his enemies, and God supposedly pointed out that Saul was David’s enemy, so David thereby had cursed Saul in violation of Ex 22:28. David pleaded with God to count this a sin of error on his part, and thereafter composed Ps 7. The rabbis also maintained that Cush was a reference to Saul (cf 1 Sam 9:1).

Psalm 7[a]

A shiggaion[b](A) of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite.

Lord my God, I take refuge(B) in you;
    save and deliver me(C) from all who pursue me,(D)
or they will tear me apart like a lion(E)
    and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue(F) me.

Lord my God, if I have done this
    and there is guilt on my hands(G)
if I have repaid my ally with evil
    or without cause(H) have robbed my foe—
then let my enemy pursue and overtake(I) me;
    let him trample my life to the ground(J)
    and make me sleep in the dust.[c](K)

Arise,(L) Lord, in your anger;
    rise up against the rage of my enemies.(M)
    Awake,(N) my God; decree justice.
Let the assembled peoples gather around you,
    while you sit enthroned over them on high.(O)
    Let the Lord judge(P) the peoples.
Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness,(Q)
    according to my integrity,(R) O Most High.(S)
Bring to an end the violence of the wicked
    and make the righteous secure—(T)
you, the righteous God(U)
    who probes minds and hearts.(V)

10 My shield[d](W) is God Most High,
    who saves the upright in heart.(X)
11 God is a righteous judge,(Y)
    a God who displays his wrath(Z) every day.
12 If he does not relent,(AA)
    he[e] will sharpen his sword;(AB)
    he will bend and string his bow.(AC)
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;
    he makes ready his flaming arrows.(AD)

14 Whoever is pregnant with evil
    conceives trouble and gives birth(AE) to disillusionment.
15 Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out
    falls into the pit(AF) they have made.(AG)
16 The trouble they cause recoils on them;
    their violence comes down on their own heads.

17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;(AH)
    I will sing the praises(AI) of the name of the Lord Most High.(AJ)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 7:1 In Hebrew texts 7:1-17 is numbered 7:2-18.
  2. Psalm 7:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  3. Psalm 7:5 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
  4. Psalm 7:10 Or sovereign
  5. Psalm 7:12 Or If anyone does not repent, / God

O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:

Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

O Lord my God, If I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands;

If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:)

Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.

Arise, O Lord, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.

So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high.

The Lord shall judge the people: judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.

Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.

10 My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.

11 God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

12 If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.

13 He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.

14 Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.

15 He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.

16 His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.

17 I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high.