Psalm 7 Text

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Read along and listen to our audio recordings for Psalm 7. Choose between simple, unaffected audio recordings (in Hebrew or English), or a dramatized reading that takes into account our emotional and discourse analyses. You can also choose between a text-only view, or a view overlaid with our summary At-a-Glance, Expanded Paraphrase, or Participant Analysis tracking.

Simple Reading (Hebrew)
Forthcoming. 		Simple Reading (English)
Forthcoming.
Dramatic Reading (Hebrew)
Forthcoming. 		Dramatic Reading (English)
Forthcoming.

Text Only (Hebrew and English) The text below is divided according to the psalm's poetic lines. For additional information, see our Poetic Structure layer.

Text (Hebrew) Verse Text (CBC)
שִׁגָּי֗וֹן לְדָ֫וִ֥ד 1a A shiggayon by David
אֲשֶׁר־שָׁ֥ר לַיהוָ֑ה 1b that he sang to YHWH
עַל־דִּבְרֵי־כ֝֗וּשׁ בֶּן־יְמִינִֽי׃ 1c concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite.
יְהוָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהַי בְּךָ֣ חָסִ֑יתִי 2a YHWH, my God, in you have I sought refuge;
הוֹשִׁיעֵ֥נִי מִכָּל־רֹ֝דְפַ֗י וְהַצִּילֵֽנִי׃ 2b save me from all who chase me, and rescue me!
פֶּן־יִטְרֹ֣ף כְּאַרְיֵ֣ה נַפְשִׁ֑י 3a Lest he maul me like a lion,
פֹּ֝רֵ֗ק וְאֵ֣ין מַצִּֽיל׃ 3b tearing apart, without anyone to rescue me.
יְהוָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהַי אִם־עָשִׂ֣יתִי זֹ֑את 4a YHWH, my God, if I have done this,
אִֽם־יֶשׁ־עָ֥וֶל בְּכַפָּֽי׃ 4b if there is injustice in my hands,
אִם־גָּ֭מַלְתִּי שֽׁוֹלְמִ֥י רָ֑ע 5a if I have repaid my friend evil,
וָאֲחַלְּצָ֖ה צוֹרְרִ֣י רֵיקָֽם׃ 5b or have delivered my foe without cause,
יִֽרַדֹּ֥ף אוֹיֵ֨ב ׀ נַפְשִׁ֡י וְיַשֵּׂ֗ג 6a may the enemy chase and overtake me,
וְיִרְמֹ֣ס לָאָ֣רֶץ חַיָּ֑י 6b trample my life to the ground,
וּכְבוֹדִ֓י ׀ לֶעָפָ֖ר יַשְׁכֵּ֣ן סֶֽלָה׃ 6c and make my glory dwell in the dust! Selah.
ק֘וּמָ֤ה יְהוָ֨ה ׀ בְּאַפֶּ֗ךָ 7a Rise up, YHWH, in your anger!
הִ֭נָּשֵׂא בְּעַבְר֣וֹת צוֹרְרָ֑י 7b Lift yourself up against the outbursts of my foes!
וְע֥וּרָה אֵ֝לַ֗י מִשְׁפָּ֥ט צִוִּֽיתָ׃ 7c And wake up, for my sake, because of the commandment that you commanded.
וַעֲדַ֣ת לְ֭אֻמִּים תְּסוֹבְבֶ֑ךָּ 8a And let a gathering of nations surround you!
וְ֝עָלֶ֗יהָ לַמָּר֥וֹם שֽׁוּבָה׃ 8b Then return over it, high above!
יְהוָה֮ יָדִ֪ין עַ֫מִּ֥ים 9a YHWH judges people;
שָׁפְטֵ֥נִי יְהוָ֑ה 9b Vindicate me, YHWH,
כְּצִדְקִ֖י וּכְתֻמִּ֣י עָלָֽי׃ 9c according to my righteousness—my integrity within me!
יִגְמָר־נָ֬א רַ֨ע ׀ רְשָׁעִים֮ 10a Let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
וּתְכוֹנֵ֪ן צַ֫דִּ֥יק 10b and make the righteous permanent!
וּבֹחֵ֣ן לִ֭בּ֗וֹת וּכְלָי֗וֹת 10c The one who examines the innermost parts
אֱלֹהִ֥ים צַדִּֽיק׃ 10d is the righteous God.
מָֽגִנִּ֥י עַל־אֱלֹהִ֑ים 11a My shield is held by God,
מ֝וֹשִׁ֗יעַ יִשְׁרֵי־לֵֽב׃ 11b who saves the upright in heart.
אֱ֭לֹהִים שׁוֹפֵ֣ט צַדִּ֑יק 12a God is a just judge,
וְ֝אֵ֗ל זֹעֵ֥ם בְּכָל־יֽוֹם׃ 12b and a god delivering punishment each day.
אִם־לֹ֣א יָ֭שׁוּב חַרְבּ֣וֹ יִלְט֑וֹשׁ 13a If the wicked does not repent, YHWH will sharpen his sword.
קַשְׁתּ֥וֹ דָ֝רַ֗ךְ וַֽיְכוֹנְנֶֽהָ׃ 13b He has bent his bow, and prepared it.
וְ֭לוֹ הֵכִ֣ין כְּלֵי־מָ֑וֶת 14a And he has prepared deadly weapons for the wicked.
חִ֝צָּ֗יו לְֽדֹלְקִ֥ים יִפְעָֽל׃ 14b He will make his arrows firebrands.
הִנֵּ֥ה יְחַבֶּל־אָ֑וֶן 15a Pay attention! The wicked conceives evil deeds,
וְהָרָ֥ה עָ֝מָ֗ל וְיָ֣לַד שָֽׁקֶר׃ 15b is pregnant with wrongdoing, and gives birth to lies.
בּ֣וֹר כָּ֭רָֽה וַֽיַּחְפְּרֵ֑הוּ׃ 16a He began to dig a pit, and kept digging it,
וַ֝יִּפֹּ֗ל בְּשַׁ֣חַת יִפְעָֽל׃ 16b and fell into the pit he was making.
יָשׁ֣וּב עֲמָל֣וֹ בְרֹאשׁ֑וֹ 17a His wrongdoing will return upon his head,
וְעַ֥ל קָ֝דְקֳד֗וֹ חֲמָס֥וֹ יֵרֵֽד׃ 17b his violence will come down on the crown of his head.
אוֹדֶ֣ה יְהוָ֣ה כְּצִדְק֑וֹ׃ 18a I shall praise YHWH according to his righteousness!
וַ֝אֲזַמְּרָ֗ה שֵֽׁם־יְהוָ֥ה עֶלְיֽוֹן׃ 18b And I shall praise the name of YHWH Most High!

Structure Overlay Below, the text has been overlaid with our summary structural analysis. For details on the structure, see the Structure At-a-Glance here.

Text (Hebrew) Verse Text (CBC)
שִׁגָּי֗וֹן לְדָ֫וִ֥ד 1a A shiggayon by David
אֲשֶׁר־שָׁ֥ר לַיהוָ֑ה 1b that he sang to YHWH
עַל־דִּבְרֵי־כ֝֗וּשׁ בֶּן־יְמִינִֽי׃ 1c concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite.
יְהוָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהַי בְּךָ֣ חָסִ֑יתִי 2a YHWH, my God, in you have I sought refuge;
הוֹשִׁיעֵ֥נִי מִכָּל־רֹ֝דְפַ֗י וְהַצִּילֵֽנִי׃ 2b save me from all who chase me, and rescue me!
פֶּן־יִטְרֹ֣ף כְּאַרְיֵ֣ה נַפְשִׁ֑י 3a Lest he maul me like a lion,
פֹּ֝רֵ֗ק וְאֵ֣ין מַצִּֽיל׃ 3b tearing apart, without anyone to rescue me.
יְהוָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהַי אִם־עָשִׂ֣יתִי זֹ֑את 4a YHWH, my God, if I have done this,
אִֽם־יֶשׁ־עָ֥וֶל בְּכַפָּֽי׃ 4b if there is injustice in my hands,
אִם־גָּ֭מַלְתִּי שֽׁוֹלְמִ֥י רָ֑ע 5a if I have repaid my friend evil,
וָאֲחַלְּצָ֖ה צוֹרְרִ֣י רֵיקָֽם׃ 5b or have delivered my foe without cause,
יִֽרַדֹּ֥ף אוֹיֵ֨ב ׀ נַפְשִׁ֡י וְיַשֵּׂ֗ג 6a may the enemy chase and overtake me,
וְיִרְמֹ֣ס לָאָ֣רֶץ חַיָּ֑י 6b trample my life to the ground,
וּכְבוֹדִ֓י ׀ לֶעָפָ֖ר יַשְׁכֵּ֣ן סֶֽלָה׃ 6c and make my glory dwell in the dust! Selah.
ק֘וּמָ֤ה יְהוָ֨ה ׀ בְּאַפֶּ֗ךָ 7a Rise up, YHWH, in your anger!
הִ֭נָּשֵׂא בְּעַבְר֣וֹת צוֹרְרָ֑י 7b Lift yourself up against the outbursts of my foes!
וְע֥וּרָה אֵ֝לַ֗י מִשְׁפָּ֥ט צִוִּֽיתָ׃ 7c And wake up, for my sake, because of the commandment that you commanded.
וַעֲדַ֣ת לְ֭אֻמִּים תְּסוֹבְבֶ֑ךָּ 8a And let a gathering of nations surround you!
וְ֝עָלֶ֗יהָ לַמָּר֥וֹם שֽׁוּבָה׃ 8b Then return over it, high above!
יְהוָה֮ יָדִ֪ין עַ֫מִּ֥ים 9a YHWH judges people;
שָׁפְטֵ֥נִי יְהוָ֑ה 9b Vindicate me, YHWH,
כְּצִדְקִ֖י וּכְתֻמִּ֣י עָלָֽי׃ 9c according to my righteousness—my integrity within me!
יִגְמָר־נָ֬א רַ֨ע ׀ רְשָׁעִים֮ 10a Let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
וּתְכוֹנֵ֪ן צַ֫דִּ֥יק 10b and make the righteous permanent!
וּבֹחֵ֣ן לִ֭בּ֗וֹת וּכְלָי֗וֹת 10c The one who examines the innermost parts
אֱלֹהִ֥ים צַדִּֽיק׃ 10d is the righteous God.
מָֽגִנִּ֥י עַל־אֱלֹהִ֑ים 11a My shield is held by God,
מ֝וֹשִׁ֗יעַ יִשְׁרֵי־לֵֽב׃ 11b who saves the upright in heart.
אֱ֭לֹהִים שׁוֹפֵ֣ט צַדִּ֑יק 12a God is a just judge,
וְ֝אֵ֗ל זֹעֵ֥ם בְּכָל־יֽוֹם׃ 12b and a god delivering punishment each day.
אִם־לֹ֣א יָ֭שׁוּב חַרְבּ֣וֹ יִלְט֑וֹשׁ 13a If the wicked does not repent, YHWH will sharpen his sword.
קַשְׁתּ֥וֹ דָ֝רַ֗ךְ וַֽיְכוֹנְנֶֽהָ׃ 13b He has bent his bow, and prepared it.
וְ֭לוֹ הֵכִ֣ין כְּלֵי־מָ֑וֶת 14a And he has prepared deadly weapons for the wicked.
חִ֝צָּ֗יו לְֽדֹלְקִ֥ים יִפְעָֽל׃ 14b He will make his arrows firebrands.
הִנֵּ֥ה יְחַבֶּל־אָ֑וֶן 15a Pay attention! The wicked conceives evil deeds,
וְהָרָ֥ה עָ֝מָ֗ל וְיָ֣לַד שָֽׁקֶר׃ 15b is pregnant with wrongdoing, and gives birth to lies.
בּ֣וֹר כָּ֭רָֽה וַֽיַּחְפְּרֵ֑הוּ׃ 16a He began to dig a pit, and kept digging it,
וַ֝יִּפֹּ֗ל בְּשַׁ֣חַת יִפְעָֽל׃ 16b and fell into the pit he was making.
יָשׁ֣וּב עֲמָל֣וֹ בְרֹאשׁ֑וֹ 17a His wrongdoing will return upon his head,
וְעַ֥ל קָ֝דְקֳד֗וֹ חֲמָס֥וֹ יֵרֵֽד׃ 17b his violence will come down on the crown of his head.
אוֹדֶ֣ה יְהוָ֣ה כְּצִדְק֑וֹ׃ 18a I shall praise YHWH according to his righteousness!
וַ֝אֲזַמְּרָ֗ה שֵֽׁם־יְהוָ֥ה עֶלְיֽוֹן׃ 18b And I shall praise the name of YHWH Most High!

Expanded paraphrase The expanded paraphrase seeks to capture the implicit information within the text and make it explicit for readers today. It is based on the CBC translation and uses italic text to provide the most salient background information, presuppositions, entailments, and inferences.

Text (Hebrew) Verse Expanded Paraphrase
שִׁגָּי֗וֹן לְדָ֫וִ֥ד אֲשֶׁר־שָׁ֥ר לַיהוָ֑ה עַל־דִּבְרֵי־כ֝֗וּשׁ בֶּן־יְמִינִֽי׃ 1 A shiggāyōn of David that he sang to YHWH concerning the words of Cush the Benjaminite who accused David of breaking YHWH's Law by breaking an alliance. King Saul, the king of Israel before David, was also from the tribe of Benjamin, and he opposed David. Other Benjaminites supported Saul in his opposition to David, and they often accused David of wrongdoing. Cush was a member of Saul's cohort.
יְהוָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהַי בְּךָ֣ חָסִ֑יתִי הוֹשִׁיעֵ֥נִי מִכָּל־רֹ֝דְפַ֗י וְהַצִּילֵֽנִי׃ 2 O YHWH, my God, you are a righteous God [v. 12a] who will cause justice to prevail. You are my king, and just as one takes refuge in a king, so in You that is, in your righteousness have I sought refuge from those who are chasing me because of Cush's accusations! Save me from all who chase me, and rescue me!
פֶּן־יִטְרֹ֣ף כְּאַרְיֵ֣ה נַפְשִׁ֑י פֹּ֝רֵ֗ק וְאֵ֣ין מַצִּֽיל׃ 3 Save me! Lest he maul me like a lion, to which enemies are often compared, tearing me apart, without anyone to rescue (me) and I die!
יְהוָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהַי אִם־עָשִׂ֣יתִי זֹ֑את אִֽם־יֶשׁ־עָ֥וֶל בְּכַפָּֽי׃ 4 O YHWH, my God, the Law requires that settling a civil offence involves taking an oath before You [Exod. 22:10; 1 King 8:31–32] and so I hereby take the following oath: if I have done this thing of which Cush is accusing me, if there is the following injustice in my hands that is, if I have acted in the following way,
אִם־גָּ֭מַלְתִּי שֽׁוֹלְמִ֥י רָ֑ע 5 Alliances and covenants of many kinds were common among Israelites [Tigay 1970, 183–4]. Many such alliances involved a mutual obligation to treat each other's enemy as one's own [ibid]. Not doing so was unacceptable [1 Kings 20:42; 2 Chron 19:2; 1 Sam 19:17], therefore if I have repaid my friend evil, or have delivered my foe who is also my friend's foe without cause, thereby violating an alliance,
יִֽרַדֹּ֥ף אוֹיֵ֨ב ׀ נַפְשִׁ֡י וְיַשֵּׂ֗ג וְיִרְמֹ֣ס לָאָ֣רֶץ חַיָּ֑י וּכְבוֹדִ֓י ׀ לֶעָפָ֖ר יַשְׁכֵּ֣ן סֶֽלָה׃ 6 may the enemy chase and overtake me, trample my life to the ground like a lion and make my glory dwell in the dust such that I die.
ק֘וּמָ֤ה יְהוָ֨ה ׀ בְּאַפֶּ֗ךָ הִ֭נָּשֵׂא בְּעַבְר֣וֹת צוֹרְרָ֑י וְע֥וּרָה אֵ֝לַ֗י מִשְׁפָּ֥ט צִוִּֽיתָ׃ 7 It feels like you have been passive with regard to my situation. So now I ask, Rise up and take action, O YHWH, in Your anger as a warrior rises up before a battle! Lift Yourself up against the outbursts of my foes! Your commandments explicitly forbid false accusations [Deut 19:16–], of which Cush and those accompanying him are guilty. Therefore, Awake for action as a warrior awakens from sleep before a battle, for my sake, in accordance with the commandments that You commanded
וַעֲדַ֣ת לְ֭אֻמִּים תְּסוֹבְבֶ֑ךָּ וְ֝עָלֶ֗יהָ לַמָּר֥וֹם שֽׁוּבָה׃ 8 Legal cases often involved gatherings of people and I am pleading my case with you. So I hereby call for the quorum: And let a gathering of nations surround You! Then return over it, high above, to your judgement seat!
יְהוָה֮ יָדִ֪ין עַ֫מִּ֥ים שָׁפְטֵ֥נִי יְהוָ֑ה 9 YHWH judges people because you are a king, YHWH, and kings are responsible for executing judgement. You have the authority and wisdom to judge my case fairly; vindicate me, O YHWH, according to my righteousness I have not violated any alliances, as Cush claimed — and so righteousness, in this case is my integrity. I have remained loyal to all my allies.
יִגְמָר־נָ֬א רַ֨ע ׀ רְשָׁעִים֮ וּתְכוֹנֵ֪ן צַ֫דִּ֥יק וּבֹחֵ֣ן לִ֭בּ֗וֹת וּכְלָי֗וֹת אֱלֹהִ֥ים צַדִּֽיק׃ 10 Because I am confident that Cush's accusations are false, I ask you to Let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and because I know that I am in the right, I ask you to make the righteous permanent! YHWH knows who is righteous and who is wicked, because The righteous God is one who examines the innermost parts from which the moral character of a person could be ascertained because these innermost parts are the seats of inner thoughts, emotions and intentions.
מָֽגִנִּ֥י עַל־אֱלֹהִ֑ים מ֝וֹשִׁ֗יעַ יִשְׁרֵי־לֵֽב׃ 11 My shield is held by God who protects me like a shield-bearer. He is also the one who, by protecting them from all danger saves the ones who, like me, are innocent and upright in heart.
אֱ֭לֹהִים שׁוֹפֵ֣ט צַדִּ֑יק וְ֝אֵ֗ל זֹעֵ֥ם בְּכָל־יֽוֹם׃ 12 God is a just judge from whom judgements go forth every day [Zeph 3:5], and a god who delivers punishment each day as he sees injustice happening each day.
אִם־לֹ֣א יָ֭שׁוּב חַרְבּ֣וֹ יִלְט֑וֹשׁ 13 Since YHWH, as king, acts as both a judge and a warrior, he both decides and executes the verdict of a judgement. If the wicked does not repent, just as a warrior uses weapons so YHWH will also use His weapons, which are the judgements that happen when His law is broken. YHWH will sharpen His sword. He has bent His bow, and prepared it.

Participant Tracking Text Participant Analysis focuses on the characters in the psalm and asks, “Who are the main participants (or characters) in this psalm, and what are they saying or doing? Our full analysis can be found in the Participant Analysis layer.

This resource is forthcoming.