Psalm 7

1 Lord my God, I take refuge in you;
save and deliver me from all who pursue me,

2 or they will tear me apart like a lion
and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

3 Lord my God, if I have done this
and there is guilt on my hands—

4 if I have repaid my ally with evil
or without cause have robbed my foe—

5 then let my enemy pursue and overtake me;
let him trample my life to the ground
and make me sleep in the dust.t

6 Arise, Lord, in your anger;
rise up against the rage of my enemies.
Awake, my God; decree justice.

7 Let the assembled peoples gather around you,
while you sit enthroned over them on high.

8 Let the Lord judge the peoples.
Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness,
according to my integrity, O Most High.

9 Bring to an end the violence of the wicked
and make the righteous secure—
you, the righteous God
who probes minds and hearts.

10 My shieldt is God Most High,
who saves the upright in heart.

11 God is a righteous judge,
a God who displays his wrath every day.

12 If he does not relent,
het will sharpen his sword;
he will bend and string his bow.

13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;
he makes ready his flaming arrows.

14 Whoever is pregnant with evil
conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.

15 Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out
falls into the pit they have made.

16 The trouble they cause recoils on them;
their violence comes down on their own heads.

17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;
I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.

Psalm 7

A musical composition by David, which he sang to the Lord concerning3 a Benjaminite named Cush.4

1 O Lord my God, in you I have taken shelter.
Deliver me from all who chase me! Rescue me!

2 Otherwise they will rip me to shreds like a lion;
they will tear me to bits and no one will be able to rescue me.

3 O Lord my God, if I have done what they say,
or am guilty of unjust actions,

4 or have wronged my ally,
or helped his lawless enemy,

5 may an enemy relentlessly chase me and catch me;
may he trample me to death
and leave me lying dishonored in the dust. (Selah)

6 Stand up angrily,Lord!
Rise up with raging fury against my enemies!
Wake up for my sake and execute the judgment you have decreed for them!

7 The countries are assembled all around you;
take once more your rightful place over them!

8 The Lord judges the nations.
Vindicate me, Lord, because I am innocent,
because I am blameless, O Exalted One!

9 May the evil deeds of the wicked come to an end!
But make the innocent secure,
O righteous God,
you who examine inner thoughts and motives!

10 The Exalted God is my shield,
the one who delivers the morally upright.

11 God is a just judge;
he is angry throughout the day.

12 If a person does not repent, God sharpens his sword
and prepares to shoot his bow.

13 He prepares to use deadly weapons against him;
he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows.

14 See the one who is pregnant with wickedness,
who conceives destructive plans,
and gives birth to harmful lies –

15 he digs a pit
and then falls into the hole he has made.

16 He becomes the victim of his own destructive plans
and the violence he intended for others falls on his own head.

17 I will thank the Lord for his justice;
I will sing praises to the sovereign Lord!