Psalms — Chapter 7
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1O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:
2Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.
3O LORD my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands;
4If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:)
5Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.
6Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.
7So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high.
8The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.
9Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.
10My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.
11God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
12If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.
13He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.
14Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.
15He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.
16His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.
17I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.
1O Jehovah my God, in thee do I take refuge: Save me from all them that pursue me, and deliver me,
2Lest they tear my soul like a lion, Rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.
3O Jehovah my God, if I have done this; If there be iniquity in my hands;
4If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (Yea, I have delivered him that without cause was mine adversary;)
5Let the enemy pursue my soul, and overtake it; Yea, let him tread my life down to the earth, And lay my glory in the dust. Selah
6Arise, O Jehovah, in thine anger; Lift up thyself against the rage of mine adversaries, And awake for me; thou hast commanded judgment.
7And let the congregation of the peoples compass thee about; And over them return thou on high.
8Jehovah ministereth judgment to the peoples: Judge me, O Jehovah, according to my righteousness, and to mine integrity that is in me.
9O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish thou the righteous: For the righteous God trieth the minds and hearts.
10My shield is with God, Who saveth the upright in heart.
11God is a righteous judge, Yea, a God that hath indignation every day.
12If a man turn not, he will whet his sword; He hath bent his bow, and made it ready.
13He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; He maketh his arrows fiery [shafts].
14Behold, he travaileth with iniquity; Yea, he hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.
15He hath made a pit, and digged it, And is fallen into the ditch which he made.
16His mischief shall return upon his own head, And his violence shall come down upon his own pate.
17I will give thanks unto Jehovah according to his righteousness, And will sing praise to the name of Jehovah Most High. Psalm 8 For the Chief Musician; set to the Gittith. A Psalm of David.
1A musical composition by David, which he sang to the Lord concerning a Benjaminite named Cush. O Lord my God, in you I have taken shelter. Deliver me from all who chase me. Rescue me!
2Otherwise they will rip me to shreds like a lion; they will tear me to bits and no one will be able to rescue me.
3O Lord my God, if I have done what they say, or am guilty of unjust actions,
4or have wronged my ally, or helped his lawless enemy,
5may an enemy relentlessly chase me and catch me; may he trample me to death and leave me lying dishonored in the dust. (Selah)
6Stand 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.
7The countries are assembled all around you; take once more your rightful place over them.
8The Lord judges the nations. Vindicate me, Lord, because I am innocent, because I am blameless, O Exalted One.
9May 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.
10The Exalted God is my shield, the one who delivers the morally upright.
11God is a just judge; he is angry throughout the day.
12If a person does not repent, God will wield his sword. He has prepared to shoot his bow.
13He has prepared deadly weapons to use against him; he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows.
14See the one who is pregnant with wickedness, who conceives destructive plans, and gives birth to harmful lies—
15he digs a pit and then falls into the hole he has made.
16He becomes the victim of his own destructive plans— and the violence he intended for others falls on his own head.
17I will thank the Lord for his justice; I will sing praises to the Lord Most High!
1Yahweh, my God, I take refuge in you. Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me,
2lest they tear apart my soul like a lion, ripping it in pieces, while there is no one to deliver.
3Yahweh, my God, if I have done this, if there is iniquity in my hands,
4if I have rewarded evil to him who was at peace with me (yes, I have delivered him who without cause was my adversary),
5let the enemy pursue my soul, and overtake it; yes, let him tread my life down to the earth, and lay my glory in the dust. Selah.
6Arise, Yahweh, in your anger. Lift up yourself against the rage of my adversaries. Awake for me. You have commanded judgment.
7Let the congregation of the peoples surround you. Rule over them on high.
8Yahweh administers judgment to the peoples. Judge me, Yahweh, according to my righteousness, and to my integrity that is in me.
9Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; their minds and hearts are searched by the righteous God.
10My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart.
11God is a righteous judge, yes, a God who has indignation every day.
12If a man doesn’t relent, he will sharpen his sword; he has bent and strung his bow.
13He has also prepared for himself the instruments of death. He makes ready his flaming arrows.
14Behold, he travails with iniquity. Yes, he has conceived mischief, and brought out falsehood.
15He has dug a hole, and has fallen into the pit which he made.
16The trouble he causes shall return to his own head. His violence shall come down on the crown of his own head.
17I will give thanks to Yahweh according to his righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of Yahweh Most High.
Summary
An individual lament — David appeals to God as righteous judge against the slander of Cush the Benjaminite, affirming that God tests hearts and that the wicked fall into the pit they dig for others.
Authorship & Background
- Cry for Refuge (vv.1-2)
- Oath of Innocence (vv.3-5)
- Appeal to the Divine Judge (vv.6-9)
- God as Defender and Judge (vv.10-13)
- The Self-Destruction of Evil (vv.14-16)
- Praise for God's Righteousness (v.17)
Map & Geography
- No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.
Reflection
- 1. You can appeal to God when falsely accused (vv.3-5). David does not defend himself before men — he appeals to the divine court. When human justice fails or humans slander, the righteous Judge remains. Present your case to Him.
- 2. Evil is self-destructive (vv.14-16). The pit-digger falls into his own pit. This is not mere poetic justice — it is the nature of evil to consume its practitioner. You do not always need to fight your enemies; often their own schemes will undo them.
- 3. God's anger is moral, not capricious (v.11). God is angry with wickedness EVERY DAY — this is not mood swings but moral consistency. A judge who never gets angry at injustice is not a good judge. Divine anger is the proper response of perfect love to moral evil.
- 4. Repentance is always available (v.12). "If he turn not" — the conditional implies that turning IS possible. Even with the sword being sharpened, the door of repentance remains open. Judgment is what happens when mercy is refused.
- 5. End with praise, not bitterness (v.17). Despite false accusation and danger, David ends by praising God's righteousness. The falsely accused can praise because God's character — not current circumstances — is the basis of joy.