The Bible Study – Psalms 7 “In You Do I Take Refuge”

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.^[c]

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 shield^[d] 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,
he^[e] 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.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 7:1 In Hebrew texts 7:1-17 is numbered 7:2-18.
2. Psalm 7:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
3. Psalm 7:5 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
4. Psalm 7:10 Or sovereign
5. Psalm 7:12 Or If anyone does not repent, / God