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Psalm 27

The Stronghold of My Life

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By David.

Safe in God’s Stronghold

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
When evildoers advance against me to eat my flesh,
when my foes and my enemies come against me,
it is they who will stumble and fall.
If an army lines up against me, my heart will not fear.
If war rises against me, even then I will keep trusting.

Happy in God’s Temple

One thing I ask from the Lord. This is what I seek:
that I live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
    to gaze on the beauty of the Lord,
    and to seek him in his temple.[a]
Yes, he will hide me in his shelter on the day of trouble.
He will hide me in his tent.
He will set me high on a rock.
Then my head will be lifted up above the enemies who surround me.
I will offer sacrifices at his tent with a joyful shout.
I will sing and make music to the Lord.

Confident in Prayer

Hear me, O Lord. With my voice I call.
Be merciful to me and answer me.
When you say, “Seek my face,” my heart says to you,
    “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
Do not hide your face from me.
Do not turn your servant away in anger.
You have been my help.
Do not reject me or forsake me, O God who saves me.
10 If my father and my mother abandoned me,
    the Lord would take me in.

Walking in God’s Path

11 Lord, teach me your way,
and lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
12 Do not give me up to the desire of my foes,
because false witnesses rise up against me,
and so do those who breathe out violence.

At Home in God’s Land

13 Unless I was confident to see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living—[b]
14 Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart,
and wait for the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 27:4 The Hebrew word hekal, usually translated temple, means big house. It can refer to a palace or a temple. It can apply to the tent sanctuaries built by Moses and David and to the temple building constructed by Solomon.
  2. Psalm 27:13 As it stands, the Hebrew text is an incomplete sentence which calls for a conclusion such as “I would have lost hope.” As the text stands, the construction breaks off and jumps to a positive affirmation. Some Hebrew manuscripts omit the initial word unless and have a positive statement: I am confident that I will . . .