Psalms 31

1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: 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 thy ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for 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 [art] 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 Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou [art] my strength.

Take me out of the net which they have put ready for me secretly; for you are my strength.

5 Into thy hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.

Into your hands I give my spirit; you are my saviour, O Lord God for ever true.

6 I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD.

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 mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast 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 hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my foot in a large room.

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 LORD, for I am in trouble: my eye is consumed with grief, [yes], my soul and my belly.

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 grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of my iniquity, and my bones are consumed.

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 was a reproach among all my enemies, but especially among my neighbors, and a fear to my acquaintance: they that saw me without 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 LORD: I said, Thou [art] 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 them that 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 for thy mercies' sake.

Let your servant see the light of your face; in your mercy be my saviour.

17 Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave. (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 put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.

Let the false lips be shut, which say evil against the upright, looking down on him in their pride.

19 [Oh] how great [is] thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; [which] thou hast wrought for them that trust 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 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt 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] the LORD: for he hath showed me his wonderful 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 For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thy eyes: nevertheless thou heardest 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 the LORD, all ye his saints: [for] the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.

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 of good courage, and he will strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

Put away fear and let your heart be strong, all you whose hope is in the Lord.