April 3 – Psalms 7 and 8 from the Old Testament
Psalms 7 and 8 – Psalm 7
A musical composition by David, which he sang to the Lord concerning a Benjaminite named Cush.
7:1 O Lord my God, in you I have taken shelter.
Deliver me from all who chase me! Rescue me!
7:2 Otherwise they will rip me to shreds like a lion;
they will tear me to bits and no one will be able to rescue me.
7:3 O Lord my God, if I have done what they say,
or am guilty of unjust actions,
7:4 or have wronged my ally,
or helped his lawless enemy,
7:5 may an enemy relentlessly chase me and catch me;
may he trample me to death
and leave me lying dishonored in the dust. (Selah)
7:6 Stand 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!
7:7 The countries are assembled all around you;
take once more your rightful place over them!
7:8 The Lord judges the nations.
Vindicate me, Lord, because I am innocent,
because I am blameless, O Exalted One!
7:9 May 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!
7:10 The Exalted God is my shield,
the one who delivers the morally upright.
7:11 God is a just judge;
he is angry throughout the day.
7:12 If a person does not repent, God sharpens his sword
and prepares to shoot his bow.
7:13 He prepares to use deadly weapons against him;
he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows.
7:14 See the one who is pregnant with wickedness,
who conceives destructive plans,
and gives birth to harmful lies –
7:15 he digs a pit
and then falls into the hole he has made.
7:16 He becomes the victim of his own destructive plans
and the violence he intended for others falls on his own head.
7:17 I will thank the Lord for his justice;
I will sing praises to the sovereign Lord!
Psalm 8
For the music director, according to the gittith style; a psalm of David.
8:1 O Lord, our Lord,
how magnificent is your reputation throughout the earth!
You reveal your majesty in the heavens above!
8:2 From the mouths of children and nursing babies
you have ordained praise on account of your adversaries,
so that you might put an end to the vindictive enemy.
8:3 When I look up at the heavens, which your fingers made,
and see the moon and the stars, which you set in place,
8:4 Of what importance is the human race, that you should notice them?
Of what importance is mankind, that you should pay attention to them,
8:5 and make them a little less than the heavenly beings?
You grant mankind honor and majesty;
8:6 you appoint them to rule over your creation;
you have placed everything under their authority,
8:7 including all the sheep and cattle,
as well as the wild animals,
8:8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea
and everything that moves through the currents of the seas.
8:9 O Lord, our Lord,
how magnificent is your reputation throughout the earth!
