Psalm 31:2-19
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
I
2 In you, Lord, I take refuge;(A)
let me never be put to shame.
In your righteousness deliver me;
3 incline your ear to me;
make haste to rescue me!
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to save me.
4 For you are my rock and my fortress;(B)
for your name’s sake lead me and guide me.
5 Free me from the net they have set for me,
for you are my refuge.
6 [a]Into your hands I commend my spirit;(C)
you will redeem me, Lord, God of truth.
7 You hate those who serve worthless idols,
but I trust in the Lord.
8 I will rejoice and be glad in your mercy,
once you have seen my misery,
[and] gotten to know the distress of my soul.(D)
9 You will not abandon me into enemy hands,
but will set my feet in a free and open space.
II
10 Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
affliction is wearing down my eyes,
my throat and my insides.
11 My life is worn out by sorrow,
and my years by sighing.
My strength fails in my affliction;
my bones are wearing down.(E)
12 To all my foes I am a thing of scorn,
and especially to my neighbors
a horror to my friends.
When they see me in public,
they quickly shy away.(F)
13 I am forgotten, out of mind like the dead;
I am like a worn-out tool.[b]
14 I hear the whispers of the crowd;
terrors are all around me.[c]
They conspire together against me;
they plot to take my life.
15 But I trust in you, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”(G)
16 My destiny is in your hands;
rescue me from my enemies,
from the hands of my pursuers.
17 Let your face shine on your servant;(H)
save me in your mercy.
18 Do not let me be put to shame,
for I have called to you, Lord.
Put the wicked to shame;
reduce them to silence in Sheol.
19 Strike dumb their lying lips,
which speak arrogantly against the righteous
in contempt and scorn.(I)
Footnotes
- 31:6 Into your hands I commend my spirit: in Lk 23:46 Jesus breathes his last with this Psalm verse. Stephen in Acts 7:59 alludes to these words as he is attacked by enemies. The verse is used as an antiphon in the Divine Office at Compline, the last prayer of the day.
- 31:13 Like a worn-out tool: a common comparison for something ruined and useless, cf. Is 30:14; Jer 19:11; 22:28.
- 31:14 Terrors are all around me: a cry used in inescapable danger, cf. Jer 6:25; 20:10; 46:5; 49:29.
Psalm 31:2-19
New International Version
2 Turn your ear to me,(A)
come quickly to my rescue;(B)
be my rock of refuge,(C)
a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,(D)
for the sake of your name(E) lead and guide me.
4 Keep me free from the trap(F) that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.(G)
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;(H)
deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.(I)
6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols;(J)
as for me, I trust in the Lord.(K)
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction(L)
and knew the anguish(M) of my soul.
8 You have not given me into the hands(N) of the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place.(O)
9 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;(P)
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,(Q)
my soul and body(R) with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish(S)
and my years by groaning;(T)
my strength fails(U) because of my affliction,[a](V)
and my bones grow weak.(W)
11 Because of all my enemies,(X)
I am the utter contempt(Y) of my neighbors(Z)
and an object of dread to my closest friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me.
12 I am forgotten as though I were dead;(AA)
I have become like broken pottery.
13 For I hear many whispering,(AB)
“Terror on every side!”(AC)
They conspire against me(AD)
and plot to take my life.(AE)
14 But I trust(AF) in you, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times(AG) are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine(AH) on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.(AI)
17 Let me not be put to shame,(AJ) Lord,
for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
and be silent(AK) in the realm of the dead.
18 Let their lying lips(AL) be silenced,
for with pride and contempt
they speak arrogantly(AM) against the righteous.
Footnotes
- Psalm 31:10 Or guilt
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