Psalm 6

A Desperate Plea for Mercy

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by an eight-stringed instrument.*6: title Hebrew with stringed instruments; according to the sheminith.

1O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger

or discipline me in your rage.

2Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak.

Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.

3I am sick at heart.

How long, O Lord, until you restore me?

4Return, O Lord, and rescue me.

Save me because of your unfailing love.

5For the dead do not remember you.

Who can praise you from the grave?*6:5 Hebrew from Sheol?

6I am worn out from sobbing.

All night I flood my bed with weeping,

drenching it with my tears.

7My vision is blurred by grief;

my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.

8Go away, all you who do evil,

for the Lord has heard my weeping.

9The Lord has heard my plea;

the Lord will answer my prayer.

10May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified.

May they suddenly turn back in shame.

Psalm 7

A Prayer for Protection and Rescue

A psalm*7: title Hebrew A shiggaion, probably indicating a musical setting for the psalm. of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush of the tribe of Benjamin.

1I come to you for protection, O Lord my God.

Save me from my persecutors—rescue me!

2If you don’t, they will maul me like a lion,

tearing me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

3O Lord my God, if I have done wrong

or am guilty of injustice,

4if I have betrayed a friend

or plundered my enemy without cause,

5then let my enemies capture me.

Let them trample me into the ground

and drag my honor in the dust.

Interlude

6Arise, O Lord, in anger!

Stand up against the fury of my enemies!

Wake up, my God, and bring justice!

7Gather the nations before you.

Rule over them from on high.

8The Lord judges the nations.

Declare me righteous, O Lord,

for I am innocent, O Most High!

9End the evil of those who are wicked,

and defend the righteous.

For you look deep within the mind and heart,

O righteous God.

10God is my shield,

saving those whose hearts are true and right.

11God is an honest judge.

He is angry with the wicked every day.

12If a person does not repent,

God*7:12 Hebrew he. will sharpen his sword;

he will bend and string his bow.

13He will prepare his deadly weapons

and shoot his flaming arrows.

14The wicked conceive evil;

they are pregnant with trouble

and give birth to lies.

15They dig a deep pit to trap others,

then fall into it themselves.

16The trouble they make for others backfires on them.

The violence they plan falls on their own heads.

17I will thank the Lord because he is just;

I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

Psalm 11

The Lord Examines Everyone

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1I trust in the Lord for protection.

So why do you say to me,

“Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!

2The wicked are stringing their bows

and fitting their arrows on the bowstrings.

They shoot from the shadows

at those whose hearts are right.

3The foundations of law and order have collapsed.

What can the righteous do?”

4But the Lord is in his holy Temple;

the Lord still rules from heaven.

He watches everyone closely,

examining every person on earth.

5The Lord examines both the righteous and the wicked.

He hates those who love violence.

6He will rain down blazing coals and burning sulfur on the wicked,

punishing them with scorching winds.

7For the righteous Lord loves justice.

The virtuous will see his face.