Psalms 7
1 A musical composition of David, which he sang to Yahweh concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite. Yahweh my God, I take refuge in you! Save me from all who chase me, and rescue me.
Yahweh my God, I come to you to protect me. Rescue me, save me from all those who are pursuing me [in order to harm me].
2 Otherwise, they will rip me apart like a lion, tearing me in pieces with no one else able to bring me to safety.
If you do not do that, they will tear me into pieces like a lion does [when it attacks the animals it wants to kill], and no one will save me [from them].
3 Yahweh my God, if I have done this, and there is guilt on my hands—
Yahweh my God, if I have done anything that is wrong,
4 if I have done evil to him who was at peace with me, or senselessly harmed my enemy without cause, then hear my words.
if I have done evil to some friend who did good things to me, or if, for no good reason, I have spared (OR, acted violently toward) those who were my enemies,
5 Then let my enemy pursue my life and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and lay my honor in the dust. (Selah)
allow my enemies to pursue me and capture me. Allow them to trample me into the ground and leave me [SYN] [lying dead] in the dirt.
6 Arise, Yahweh, in your anger; stand up against the rage of my enemies; wake up for my sake and carry out the righteous decrees that you have commanded for them.
But Yahweh, because you are [very] angry [with those who pursue me], arise and attack/defeat my enemies who are furiously/angrily [attacking me] Do to them what is just!
7 The countries are assembled all around you; take once more your rightful place over them.
Gather around you the people of [all] nations, and rule them from where you are in heaven [MTY].
8 Yahweh, judge the nations; vindicate me, Yahweh, because I am righteous and innocent, Most High.
Yahweh, judge the people of [all] nations! And, Yahweh, show that I have done nothing that is wrong.
9 May the evil deeds of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous people, righteous God, you who examine hearts and minds.
God, you know what every person is thinking, and because you are righteous, you [always] do what is just/right. [So now] stop evil people from doing wicked [deeds], and defend [all of us who are] righteous!
10 My shield comes from God, the one who saves the upright in heart.
God, you protect me like a shield [protects soldiers] [MET]; you protect all those who are righteous in their inner being.
11 God is a righteous judge, a God who is indignant each day.
You judge [everyone] correctly, and every day you punish [wicked people].
12 If a person does not repent, God will sharpen his sword and will prepare his bow for battle.
Whenever your enemies do not (repent/change their behavior), [it is as though] [MET] you sharpen your sword and put a string on your bow [to get ready to kill them].
13 He prepares to use weapons against him; he makes his arrows flaming shafts.
You are preparing your weapons that kill those whom they strike; the arrows that you will shoot have flaming tips.
14 Think about the one who is pregnant with wickedness, who conceives destructive plans, who gives birth to harmful lies.
Wicked people tell lies, and they think that they surely will be able to do [MET] the evil things that they are planning to do [just as surely as] a pregnant woman [knows that she is going to give birth to a child] [MET].
15 He digs a pit and hollows it out and then falls into the hole he has made.
But when they dig a deep pit [to trap others], they themselves will fall into it.
16 His own destructive plans return to his own head, for his violence comes down on his own head.
They themselves will experience the trouble that they want to cause others to have; they will hurt themselves by the violent things that they want to do to others.
17 I will give thanks to Yahweh for his justice; I will sing praise to Yahweh Most High.
I praise Yahweh because he [always acts] righteously/justly; I sing to praise Yahweh, the one who is much greater than any other god.
