Psalm 11-14
New American Standard Bible 1995
The Lord a Refuge and Defense.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
11 In the Lord I (A)take refuge;
How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your (B)mountain;
2 For, behold, the wicked (C)bend the bow,
They [a](D)make ready their arrow upon the string
To (E)shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
3 If the (F)foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?”
4 The Lord is in His (G)holy temple; the [b]Lord’s (H)throne is in heaven;
His (I)eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
5 The Lord (J)tests the righteous and (K)the wicked,
And the one who loves violence His soul hates.
6 Upon the wicked He will (L)rain [c]snares;
(M)Fire and brimstone and (N)burning wind will be the portion of (O)their cup.
7 For the Lord is (P)righteous, (Q)He loves [d]righteousness;
The upright will (R)behold His face.
God, a Helper against the Treacherous.
For the choir director; [e]upon an eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm of David.
12 Help, Lord, for (S)the godly man ceases to be,
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
2 They (T)speak [f]falsehood to one another;
With (U)flattering [g]lips and with a double heart they speak.
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
The tongue that (V)speaks great things;
4 Who (W)have said, “With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are [h]our own; who is lord over us?”
5 “Because of the (X)devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy,
Now (Y)I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will (Z)set him in the safety for which he longs.”
6 The (AA)words of the Lord are pure words;
As silver (AB)tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.
7 You, O Lord, will keep them;
You will (AC)preserve him from this generation forever.
8 The (AD)wicked strut about on every side
When [i](AE)vileness is exalted among the sons of men.
Prayer for Help in Trouble.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
13 How long, O Lord? Will You (AF)forget me forever?
How long (AG)will You hide Your face from me?
2 How long shall I (AH)take counsel in my soul,
Having (AI)sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
3 (AJ)Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
(AK)Enlighten my eyes, or I will (AL)sleep the sleep of death,
4 And my enemy will (AM)say, “I have overcome him,”
And (AN)my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.
5 But I have (AO)trusted in Your lovingkindness;
My heart shall (AP)rejoice in Your salvation.
6 I will (AQ)sing to the Lord,
Because He has (AR)dealt bountifully with me.
Folly and Wickedness of Men.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
14 The fool has (AS)said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they have committed abominable [j]deeds;
There is (AT)no one who does good.
2 The Lord has (AU)looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
To see if there are any who [k](AV)understand,
Who (AW)seek after God.
3 They have all (AX)turned aside, together they have become corrupt;
There is (AY)no one who does good, not even one.
4 Do all the workers of wickedness (AZ)not know,
Who (BA)eat up my people as they eat bread,
And (BB)do not call upon the Lord?
5 There they are in great dread,
For God is with the (BC)righteous generation.
6 You would put to shame the counsel of the afflicted,
But the Lord is his (BD)refuge.
7 Oh, that (BE)the salvation of Israel [l]would come out of Zion!
When the Lord [m](BF)restores His captive people,
Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad.
Footnotes
- Psalm 11:2 Or fixed
- Psalm 11:4 Lit Lord, His throne
- Psalm 11:6 Or coals of fire
- Psalm 11:7 Or righteous deeds
- Psalm 12:1 Or according to a lower octave (Heb Sheminith)
- Psalm 12:2 Or emptiness
- Psalm 12:2 Lit lip
- Psalm 12:4 Lit with us
- Psalm 12:8 Or worthlessness
- Psalm 14:1 Lit doings
- Psalm 14:2 Or act wisely
- Psalm 14:7 Lit would be
- Psalm 14:7 Or restores the fortunes of His people
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
