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.