Psalms 31

1 To the chief music-maker. A Psalm. Of David. In you, O Lord, have I put my hope; let me never be shamed; keep me safe in your righteousness.

Unto the end, a psalm for David, in an ecstasy. In thee, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded: deliver me in thy justice.

2 Let your ear be turned to me; take me quickly out of danger; be my strong Rock, my place of strength where I may be safe.

Bow down thy ear to me: make haste to deliver me. Be thou unto me a God, a protector, and a house of refuge, to save me.

3 For you are my Rock and my strong tower; go in front of me and be my guide, because of your name.

For thou art my strength and my refuge; and for thy name’s sake thou wilt lead me, and nourish me.

4 Take me out of the net which they have put ready for me secretly; for you are my strength.

Thou wilt bring me out of this snare, which they have hidden for me: for thou art my protector.

5 Into your hands I give my spirit; you are my saviour, O Lord God for ever true.

Into thy hands I commend my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth.

6 I am full of hate for those who go after false gods; but my hope is in the Lord.

Thou hast hated them that regard vanities, to no purpose. But I have hoped in the Lord:

7 I will be glad and have delight in your mercy; because you have seen my trouble; you have had pity on my soul in its sorrows;

I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy. For thou best regarded my humility, thou hast saved my soul out of distresses.

8 And you have not given me into the hand of my hater; you have put my feet in a wide place.

And thou hast not shut me up in the hands of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a spacious place.

9 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; my eyes are wasted with grief, I am wasted in soul and body.

Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am afflicted: my eye is troubled with wrath, my soul, and my belly:

10 My life goes on in sorrow, and my years in weeping; my strength is almost gone because of my sin, and my bones are wasted away.

For my life is wasted with grief: and my years in sighs. My strength is weakened through poverty and my bones are disturbed.

11 Because of all those who are against me, I have become a word of shame to my neighbours; a cause of shaking the head and a fear to my friends: those who saw me in the street went in flight from me.

I am become a reproach among all my enemies, and very much to my neighbours; and a fear to my acquaintance. They that saw me without fled from me.

12 I have gone from men's minds and memory like a dead man; I am like a broken vessel.

I am forgotten as one dead from the heart. I am become as a vessel that is destroyed.

13 False statements against me have come to my ears; fear was on every side: they were talking together against me, designing to take away my life.

For I have heard the blame of many that dwell round about. While they assembled together against me, they consulted to take away my life.

14 But I had faith in you, O Lord; I said, You are my God.

But I have put my trust in thee, O Lord: I said: Thou art my God.

15 The chances of my life are in your hand; take me out of the hands of my haters, and of those who go after me.

My lots are in thy hands. Deliver me out of the hands of my enemies; and from them that persecute me.

16 Let your servant see the light of your face; in your mercy be my saviour.

Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; save me in thy mercy.

17 Let me not be shamed, O Lord, for I have made my prayer to you; let the sinners be shamed, and let their mouths be shut in the underworld. (Sheol h7585)

Let me not be confounded, O Lord, for I have called upon thee. Let the wicked be ashamed, and be brought down to hell. (Sheol h7585)

18 Let the false lips be shut, which say evil against the upright, looking down on him in their pride.

Let deceitful lips be made dumb. Which speak iniquity against the just, with pride and abuse.

19 O how great is your grace, which you have put in store for your worshippers, and which you have made clear to those who had faith in you, before the sons of men!

O how great is the multitude of thy sweetness, O Lord, which thou hast hidden for them that fear thee! Which thou hast wrought for them that hope in thee, in the sight of the sons of men.

20 You will keep them safe in your house from the designs of man; in the secret of your tent will you keep them from angry tongues.

Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy face, from the disturbance of men. Thou shalt protect them in thy tabernacle from the contradiction of tongues.

21 May the Lord be praised, because he has made clear to me the wonder of his grace in a strong town.

Blessed be the Lord, for he hath shewn his wonderful mercy to me in a fortified city.

22 And as for me, I said in my fear, I am cut off from before your eyes; but you gave ear to the voice of my prayer, when my cry went up to you.

But I said in the excess of my mind: I am cast away from before thy eyes. Therefore thou hast heard the voice of my prayer, when I cried to thee.

23 O have love for the Lord, all you his saints; for the Lord keeps safe from danger all those who are true to him, and gives the workers of pride their right reward.

O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord will require truth, and will repay them abundantly that act proudly.

24 Put away fear and let your heart be strong, all you whose hope is in the Lord.

Do ye manfully, and let your heart be strengthened, all ye that hope in the Lord.