Psalm 11-15

Lexham English Bible

11 In Yahweh I have taken refuge;
how can you say to my soul,
“Flee to your mountain like a bird”?
² For look: The wicked string the bow.^[b]
They have fitted their arrow to the string,
to shoot from the darkness
at the upright of heart.
³ When the foundations are destroyed
what can the righteous do?^[c]
4 Yahweh is in his holy temple;
Yahweh is in the heavens on his throne.
His eyelids see;
they test the children of humankind.
⁵ Yahweh tests the righteous,
but the wicked and the lover of violence
his soul hates.
⁶ He will rain coals^[d] on the wicked.
Burning sulfur and scorching wind
will be the portion of their cup.
⁷ For Yahweh is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds.
The upright shall see his face.

12 Save, O Yahweh, for the pious have ceased to be;
for the faithful have vanished
from among the children of humankind.
² They speak falseness to each other.^[g]
With flattering lips,
with a double heart^[h] they speak.
³ May Yahweh cut off all flattering lips,
the tongue speaking great boasts—
⁴ those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail.
Our lips are on our side.
Who is master over us?”
⁵ “Because of the oppression of the afflicted,
because of the groaning of the poor,
now I will rise up,” Yahweh says.
“I shall put them in the safety for which they^[i] long.”
⁶ The words of Yahweh are pure words
like silver refined in the crucible on the ground,
refined seven times.
⁷ You, O Yahweh, will protect them.
You will preserve him^[j]
from this generation always.
⁸ The wicked prowl about
when vileness is exalted among the children of humankind.

13 How long, O Yahweh? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
² How long must I take counsel^[l] in my soul,
and sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
³ Consider^[m] and answer me, O Yahweh my God.
Give light to my eyes
lest I sleep the sleep of death,
⁴ and lest my enemy should say, “I have overcome him,”
lest my enemies rejoice because I am shaken.
⁵ But as for me, I have trusted in your steadfast love.^[n]
My heart will rejoice in your deliverance.
^6 [o] I will sing to Yahweh
because he has dealt bountifully with me.

14 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt.
They do abominable deeds.
There is none who does good.
² Yahweh looks down from heaven upon the children of humankind
to see whether there is one who has insight,
one who cares about God.
³ All have gone astray;
they are altogether corrupt.
There is not one who does good;
there is not even one.
⁴ All who do evil—do they not know,
they who eat my people as though they were eating bread?
They do not call on Yahweh.
⁵ There they are very fearful^[q]
because God is with the generation of the righteous.
⁶ You would put to shame the plan of the poor,
because^[r] Yahweh is his refuge.
⁷ Oh that from Zion^[s] would come salvation for Israel!
When Yahweh returns the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be happy.

15 O Yahweh, who may reside in your tent?
Who may dwell on your holy mountain?
² He who walks blamelessly and does what is right.
He who speaks honestly in his heart.
³ He does not slander with his tongue.
He does not harm his friend,
nor bring up^[u] a disgrace against his neighbor.
⁴ In his eyes a rejected one is contemptible,
but he honors those who respect Yahweh.
He takes an oath to his own injury and does not retract it.
⁵ He does not lend his money at interest,
and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
will never be shaken.