Psalms 31
1 For the chief musician. A psalm of David. In you, Yahweh, I take refuge; never let me be humiliated. Rescue me in your 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 Listen to me; rescue me quickly; be my rock of refuge, a stronghold 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 you are my rock and my fortress; therefore for your name's sake, lead 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 hidden for me, for you are my refuge.
Take me out of the net which they have put ready for me secretly; for you are my strength.
5 Into your hands I entrust my spirit; you will redeem me, Yahweh, God of trustworthiness.
Into your hands I give my spirit; you are my saviour, O Lord God for ever true.
6 I hate those who serve worthless idols, but I trust in Yahweh.
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 your covenant faithfulness, for you saw my affliction; you knew the distress of my soul.
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 You have not given me into the hand of my enemy. You have set my feet in a wide open 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, Yahweh, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weary with grief with 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 weary with sorrow and my years with groaning. My strength fails because of my sin, and my bones are wasting 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 Because of all my enemies, people disdain me; my neighbors are appalled at my situation, and those who know me are horrified. Those who see me in the street run 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 whom no one thinks about. I am like a broken pot.
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 whispering of many, terrifying news from every side as they plot together against me. They plot 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 trust in you, Yahweh; I say, “You are my God.”
But I had faith in you, O Lord; I said, You are my God.
15 My times are in your hand. Rescue me from the hands of my enemies and from those who pursue 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 your face shine on your servant; save me in your covenant faithfulness.
Let your servant see the light of your face; in your mercy be my saviour.
17 Do not let me be humiliated, Yahweh; for I call out to you! May the wicked be humiliated! May they 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 May lying lips be silenced that speak against the righteous defiantly with arrogance and contempt.
Let the false lips be shut, which say evil against the upright, looking down on him in their pride.
19 How great is your goodness that you have stored up for those who revere you, that you perform for those who take refuge in you before all the children of mankind!
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 shelter of your presence, you hide them from the plots of men. You hide them in a shelter from the violence 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 Yahweh, for he showed me his marvelous covenant faithfulness when I was in a besieged city.
May the Lord be praised, because he has made clear to me the wonder of his grace in a strong town.
22 Though I said in my haste, “I am cut off from your eyes,” yet you heard my plea for help when I cried to you.
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 Oh, love Yahweh, all you faithful followers. Yahweh protects the faithful, but he pays back the arrogant in full.
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 confident, all you who trust in Yahweh for help.
Put away fear and let your heart be strong, all you whose hope is in the Lord.
