Psalms 31

1 For the end, a Psalm of David, [an utterance] of extreme fear. O Lord, I have hoped in you; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in your righteousness and rescue me.

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.

2 Incline your ear to me; make haste to rescue me: be you to me for a protecting God, and for a house of refuge to save me.

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.

3 For you are my strength and my refuge; and you shall guide me for your name's sake, and maintain me.

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

4 You shall bring me out of the snare which they have hidden for me; for you, O Lord, are my defender.

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

5 Into your hands I will commit my spirit: you have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.

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

6 You has hated them that idly persist in vanities: but I have hoped in the Lord.

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

7 I will exult and be glad in your mercy: for you have looked upon mine affliction; you have saved my soul from distresses.

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;

8 And you have not shut me up into the hands of the enemy: you have set my feet in a wide place.

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

9 Pity me, O Lord, for I am afflicted: my eye is troubled with indignation, my soul and by belly.

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

10 For my life is spent with grief, and my years with groanings: my strength has been weakened through poverty, and my bones are troubled.

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.

11 I became a reproach among all mine enemies, but exceedingly so to my neighbors, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that saw me without fled from me.

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.

12 I have been forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am become as a broken vessel.

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

13 For I heard the slander of many that lived round about: when they were gathered together against me, they took counsel to take my life.

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.

14 But I hoped in you, O Lord: I said, You are my God.

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

15 My lots are in your hands: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies,

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.

16 and from them that persecute me. Make your face to shine upon your servant: save me in your mercy.

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

17 O Lord, let me not be ashamed, for I have called upon you: let the ungodly be ashamed, and brought down to Hades. (Sheol h7585)

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)

18 Let the deceitful lips become dumb, which speak iniquity against the righteous with pride and scorn.

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

19 How abundant is the multitude of your goodness, O Lord, which you have laid up for them that fear you! you have wrought [it] out for them that hope on you, in the presence of the sons of men.

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!

20 You will hide them in the secret of your presence from the vexation of man: you will screen them in a tabernacle from the contradiction of tongues.

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.

21 Blessed be the Lord: for he has magnified his mercy in a fortified city.

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

22 But I said in my extreme fear, I am cast out from the sight of your eyes: therefore you did listen, O Lord, to the voice of my supplication when I cried to you.

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.

23 Love the Lord, all you his saints: for the Lord seeks for truth, and renders [a reward] to them that deal very proudly.

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.

24 Be of good courage, and let your heart be strengthened, all you that hope in the Lord.

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