Psalms 31
1 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.
“To the chief musician, a psalm of David.” In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; Oh that I may never be put to shame: through thy righteousness do thou release me.
2 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.
Bend unto me thy ear; speedily deliver me: be thou unto me as a rock of protection, as a mountain strong-hold to save me.
3 For you are my Rock and my strong tower; go in front of me and be my guide, because of your name.
For my rock and my stronghold art thou; and for the sake of thy name lead me, and guide me.
4 Take me out of the net which they have put ready for me secretly; for you are my strength.
Draw me out of the net which they have laid secretly for me; for thou art my protection.
5 Into your hands I give my spirit; you are my saviour, O Lord God for ever true.
Into thy hand do I commit my spirit: thou redeemest me, O Lord, the God of truth.
6 I am full of hate for those who go after false gods; but my hope is in the Lord.
I hate those that depend on lying vanities; but I trust indeed in the Lord.
7 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;
I will be glad and rejoice in thy kindness; because thou hast seen my misery; thou hast taken cognizance of the distresses of my soul;
8 And you have not given me into the hand of my hater; you have put my feet in a wide place.
And thou hast not surrendered me into the hand of the enemy: thou hast caused my feet to stand on an ample space.
9 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; my eyes are wasted with grief, I am wasted in soul and body.
Be gracious unto me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye is consumed through vexation—my soul [too] and my body.
10 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.
For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing, my strength faileth because of my iniquity, and my bones are consumed.
11 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.
Because of all my assailants am I become a reproach, and unto my neighbors greatly so, and a terror to my acquaintance, those that see me abroad flee away from me.
12 I have gone from men's minds and memory like a dead man; I am like a broken vessel.
I am forgotten as a dead man out of the heart: I am become like a perishable vessel.
13 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.
For I have heard the slandering of many; terror was on every side, while they took counsel together against me: to take away my life did they purpose.
14 But I had faith in you, O Lord; I said, You are my God.
But I trusted well in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God.
15 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.
In thy hand are my destinies: deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from my persecutors.
16 Let your servant see the light of your face; in your mercy be my saviour.
Let thy face shine upon thy servant: save me through thy kindness.
17 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)
O Lord, let me not be put to shame; for I have called on thee: let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent, [passing] to the nether world. (Sheol h7585)
18 Let the false lips be shut, which say evil against the upright, looking down on him in their pride.
Let the lying lips be made dumb, which speak hard things against the righteous, with pride and contempt.
19 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!
Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast treasured up for those that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for those that trust in thee before the sons of men!
20 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.
Thou wilt conceal them in the secret of thy presence from the conspiracy of men: thou wilt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
21 May the Lord be praised, because he has made clear to me the wonder of his grace in a strong town.
Blessed be the Lord: for he hath shown me his kindness wonderfully in a beleaguered city.
22 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.
And yet had I said in my despondency, I am cut off from before thy eyes: nevertheless thou didst hear the voice of my supplications when I cried loudly unto thee.
23 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.
Oh love the Lord, all ye his pious ones: the Lord preserveth the faithful, and recompenses the presumption of him that acteth proudly.
24 Put away fear and let your heart be strong, all you whose hope is in the Lord.
Be strong, and let your heart be of good courage, all ye that hope in the Lord.
