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Psalm chapter 7

English Standard Version

1O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me, 2lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, rending it in pieces, with none to deliver. 3O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands, 4if I have repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause, 5let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Selah 6 Arise, O Lord, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed a judgment. 7Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you; over it return on high. 8The Lord judges the peoples; judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me. 9Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous — you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God! 10My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart. 11God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day. 12If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow; 13he has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts. 14Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies. 15He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made. 16His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends. 17I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.
New International Version

New American Standard Bible

1O Lord my God, in You I have taken refuge; Save me from all those who pursue me, and rescue me, 2Or he will tear my soul like a lion, Dragging me away, while there is no one to rescue me. 3O Lord my God, if I have done this, If there is injustice in my hands, 4If I have done evil to my friend, Or have plundered my enemy for no reason, 5Let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it; And let him trample my life to the ground And lay my glory in the dust. Selah 6Arise, Lord, in Your anger; Raise Yourself against the rage of my enemies, And stir Yourself for me; You have ordered judgment. 7Let the assembly of the peoples encompass You, And return on high over it. 8The Lord judges the peoples; Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me. 9Please let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; For the righteous God puts hearts and minds to the test. 10My shield is with God, Who saves the upright in heart. 11God is a righteous judge, And a God who shows indignation every day. 12If one does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and taken aim. 13He has also prepared deadly weapons for Himself; He makes His arrows fiery shafts. 14Behold, an evil person is pregnant with injustice, And he conceives harm and gives birth to lies. 15He has dug a pit and hollowed it out, And has fallen into the hole which he made. 16His harm will return on his own head, And his violence will descend on the top of his own head. 17I will give thanks to the Lord according to His righteousness And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
Christian Standard Bible

King James Version

New King James Version

What does Psalm chapter 7 mean?

Scripture does not indicate exactly which situation inspired David to write this psalm. There were times when David was pursued by enemies who looked to kill him (1 Samuel 19:1; 20:31–33; 24:1–2). First Samuel chapter 24 includes one such moment of danger, where David expresses thoughts very close to those seen in this passage. The middle verses of the psalm indicate David is responding to false accusations. These may have come from the person named in the title of this psalm. No further information is available about Cush the Benjaminite (Psalm 7:1–2).

Inviting God's judgment can be a risky proposition (Matthew 7:1). David is confident, however, that these accusations are false. He emphasizes his innocence by accepting whatever punishment God might apply. This is somewhat like a modern person saying, "you can take me to jail if I'm lying," when they know they are telling the truth. David is not literally asking God to do these things to him—rather, he is highlighting his confidence that those claims are false (Psalm 7:3–5).

Rather than seeking revenge on his own (Romans 12:19), David calls on God to issue judgment. He recognizes the Lord's role as a perfect, all-knowing God who will always come to the right conclusions. David prays that consequences for sin will fall on those who are attacking him. David's confidence in God allows him to leave all judgment to the Lord. He knows that God sees the evil men do every day, and trusts that His response will be righteous (Psalm 7:6–11).

In closing the psalm, David depicts the Lord as a warrior preparing for battle. The evil person faces a God with a bent bow and a sharp sword. For their part, the evil person deliberately instigates evil, fosters it, and brings about lies and injustice. The end for the wicked person is to suffer from their own sins. Even the traps they lay for other people will, in the end, be part of the judgment against them. Free from those concerns, David can worship and honor God with praise (Psalm 7:12–17).
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