7
A psalm that David sang to Yahweh because of David’s enemy, Cush 
 1 Yahweh my God, I come to you to protect me. 
Rescue me, save me from all those who are pursuing me in order to harm me. 
 2 If you do not do that, they will tear me into pieces 
like a lion does when it attacks the animals it wants to kill, 
and no one will save me from them. 
 3 Yahweh my God, if I have done anything that is wrong, 
 4 if I have done evil to some friend who did good things to me, 
or if, for no good reason, I have spared (OR, acted violently toward) those who were my enemies, 
 5 allow my enemies to pursue me and capture me. 
Allow them to trample me into the ground 
and leave me [SYN] lying dead in the dirt. 
(Think about that!) 
 6 But Yahweh, because you are very angry with those who pursue me, 
arise and attack/defeat my enemies who are furiously/angrily attacking me 
Do to them what is just! 
 7 Gather around you the people of all nations, 
and rule them from where you are in heaven [MTY]. 
 8 Yahweh, judge the people of all nations! 
And, Yahweh, show that I have done nothing that is wrong. 
 9 God, you know what every person is thinking, 
and because you are righteous, you always do what is just/right. 
So now stop evil people from doing wicked deeds, 
and defend all of us who are righteous! 
 10 God, you protect me like a shield protects soldiers [MET]; 
you protect all those who are righteous in their inner being. 
 11 You judge everyone correctly, 
and every day you punish wicked people. 
 12 Whenever your enemies do not ◄repent/change their behavior►, 
it is as though [MET] you sharpen your sword and put a string on your bow to get ready to kill them. 
 13 You are preparing your weapons that kill those whom they strike; 
the arrows that you will shoot have flaming tips. 
 14 Wicked people tell lies, 
and they think that they surely will be able to do [MET] the evil things that they are planning to do 
just as surely as a pregnant woman knows that she is going to give birth to a child [MET]. 
 15 But when they dig a deep pit to trap others, 
they themselves will fall into it. 
 16 They themselves will experience the trouble that they want to cause others to have; 
they will hurt themselves by the violent things that they want to do to others. 
 17 I praise Yahweh because he always acts righteously/justly; 
I sing to praise Yahweh, the one who is much greater than any other god.