A shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjaminite.
1Lord my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me,[1]2or they will tear me apart like a lion and rip me to pieces with no-one to rescue me.3Lord my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands –4if I have repaid my ally with evil or without cause have robbed my foe –5then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust.[2]6Arise, Lord, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice.7Let the assembled peoples gather round you, while you sit enthroned over them on high.8Let the Lord judge the peoples. Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High.9Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure – you, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts.10My shield[3] is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart.11God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day.12If he does not relent, he[4] will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow.13He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows.14Whoever is pregnant with evil conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.15Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made.16The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads.17I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.
A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.
1O LORD my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,[1] (Ps 11:1; Ps 31:15)2lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, rending it in pieces, with none to deliver. (Job 10:16; Ps 50:22)3O LORD my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands, (1Sa 24:11; 1Sa 26:18; 2Sa 16:7; 2Sa 16:8; Ps 59:3)4if I have repaid my friend[2] with evil or plundered my enemy without cause, (1Sa 24:7; 1Sa 26:9; Ps 55:20)5let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Selah (Ps 89:39; Da 8:7)6Arise, O LORD, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed a judgment. (Job 8:6; Ps 3:7; Ps 35:23; Ps 44:23; Ps 59:4; Ps 94:2; Isa 33:10)7Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you; over it return on high.8The LORD judges the peoples; judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me. (Ps 18:20; Ps 26:1; Ps 35:24; Ps 43:1; Ps 58:11)9Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous— you who test the minds and hearts,[3] O righteous God! (1Sa 16:7; 1Ch 28:9; Job 23:10; Ps 11:5; Ps 26:2; Ps 139:1; Jer 11:20; Jer 17:10; Jer 20:12; Re 2:23)10My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart. (2Ch 29:34; Ps 62:8)11God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day. (Job 8:3; Na 1:2; Na 1:6)12If a man[4] does not repent, God[5] will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow; (De 32:41; Ps 11:2; Ps 21:12; Ps 37:14)13he has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts. (Ps 18:14; Eph 6:16)14Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies. (Job 15:35; Isa 33:11; Isa 59:4; Jas 1:15)15He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made. (Ps 9:15; Ps 57:6; Ps 119:85; Pr 26:27; Pr 28:10; Ec 10:8)16His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends. (Jud 9:24; 1Ki 2:32; Es 7:10; Es 9:25; Ps 94:23; Ps 141:10; Pr 5:22)17I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High. (Ps 9:2)