< Psalms 31 >

1 In thee, O Jehovah, do I take refuge. Let me never be put to shame. Deliver me in thy righteousness.
To the chief music-maker. A Psalm. Of David. In you, O Lord, have I put my hope; let me never be shamed; keep me safe in your righteousness.
2 Bow down thine ear to me. Deliver me speedily. Be thou to me a strong rock, a house of defense to save me.
Let your ear be turned to me; take me quickly out of danger; be my strong Rock, my place of strength where I may be safe.
3 For thou are my rock and my fortress. Therefore for thy name's sake lead me and guide me.
For you are my Rock and my strong tower; go in front of me and be my guide, because of your name.
4 Pluck me out of the net that they have laid secretly for me, for thou are my stronghold.
Take me out of the net which they have put ready for me secretly; for you are my strength.
5 Into thy hand I commend my spirit. Thou have redeemed me, O Jehovah, thou God of truth.
Into your hands I give my spirit; you are my saviour, O Lord God for ever true.
6 I hate those who regard lying vanities, but I trust in Jehovah.
I am full of hate for those who go after false gods; but my hope is in the Lord.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in thy loving kindness, for thou have seen my affliction. Thou have known my soul in adversities,
I will be glad and have delight in your mercy; because you have seen my trouble; you have had pity on my soul in its sorrows;
8 and thou have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy. Thou have set my feet in a large place.
And you have not given me into the hand of my hater; you have put my feet in a wide place.
9 Have mercy upon me, O Jehovah, for I am in distress. My eye wastes away with grief, yea, my soul and my body.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; my eyes are wasted with grief, I am wasted in soul and body.
10 For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing. My strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones are wasted away.
My life goes on in sorrow, and my years in weeping; my strength is almost gone because of my sin, and my bones are wasted away.
11 I have become a reproach because of all my adversaries, yea, to my neighbors exceedingly, and a fear to my acquaintances. Those who saw me outside fled from me.
Because of all those who are against me, I have become a word of shame to my neighbours; a cause of shaking the head and a fear to my friends: those who saw me in the street went in flight from me.
12 I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind. I am like a broken vessel.
I have gone from men's minds and memory like a dead man; I am like a broken vessel.
13 For I have heard the slander of many. Fear was on every side, while they took counsel together against me. They devised to take away my life.
False statements against me have come to my ears; fear was on every side: they were talking together against me, designing to take away my life.
14 But I trusted in thee, O Jehovah. I said, Thou are my God.
But I had faith in you, O Lord; I said, You are my God.
15 My times are in thy hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.
The chances of my life are in your hand; take me out of the hands of my haters, and of those who go after me.
16 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant. Save me in thy loving kindness.
Let your servant see the light of your face; in your mercy be my saviour.
17 Let me not be put to shame, O Jehovah, for I have called upon thee. Let the wicked be put to shame. Let them be silent in Sheol. (Sheol h7585)
Let me not be shamed, O Lord, for I have made my prayer to you; let the sinners be shamed, and let their mouths be shut in the underworld. (Sheol h7585)
18 Let the lying lips be dumb, which speak against the righteous man insolently, with pride and contempt.
Let the false lips be shut, which say evil against the upright, looking down on him in their pride.
19 O how great is thy goodness, which thou have laid up for those who fear thee, which thou have wrought for those who take refuge in thee before the sons of men!
O how great is your grace, which you have put in store for your worshippers, and which you have made clear to those who had faith in you, before the sons of men!
20 In the covert of thy presence thou will hide them from the plotting of man. Thou will keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
You will keep them safe in your house from the designs of man; in the secret of your tent will you keep them from angry tongues.
21 Blessed be Jehovah, for he has shown me his marvelous loving kindness in a strong city.
May the Lord be praised, because he has made clear to me the wonder of his grace in a strong town.
22 As for me, I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes. Nevertheless thou heard the voice of my supplications when I cried to thee.
And as for me, I said in my fear, I am cut off from before your eyes; but you gave ear to the voice of my prayer, when my cry went up to you.
23 O love Jehovah, all ye his sanctified. Jehovah preserves the faithful, and plentifully repays him who deals proudly.
O have love for the Lord, all you his saints; for the Lord keeps safe from danger all those who are true to him, and gives the workers of pride their right reward.
24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all ye who hope in Jehovah.
Put away fear and let your heart be strong, all you whose hope is in the Lord.

< Psalms 31 >