Be Merciful to Me, O God (1 Samuel 21:8–15)
1 UST O God, men are attacking me, so please help me! They keep fighting me and making me suffer. BSB BSB: For the choirmaster. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” A Miktam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath. Be merciful to me, O God, for men are hounding me; all day they press their attack.
2 UST Many proud enemies are fighting against me, so there is continually someone attacking me. BSB BSB: My enemies pursue me all day long, for many proudly assail me.
3 UST But whenever I am afraid, I trust you{ to help me}. BSB BSB: When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.
4 UST I praise you, God, because you have promised{ to take care of me}. I trust you to do that, so I am not afraid. I know that mere humans will not be able to harm me! BSB BSB: In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
5 UST My enemies are continually trying to interfere in my activities. They keep planning ways to harm me. BSB BSB: All day long they twist my words; all their thoughts are on my demise.
6 UST Together they secretly watch where I am going because they are looking for an opportunity to kill me. BSB BSB: They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps while they wait to take my life.
7 UST They should not be able to avoid punishment for the wicked things they are doing. O God, in your anger, please defeat all of our foreign enemies! BSB BSB: In spite of such sin, will they escape? In Your anger, O God, cast down the nations.
8 UST You have watched me carefully as I have wandered to this place. Please stay close to me as I have sad experiences here. I know that you have watched me closely as I have had these experiences. BSB BSB: You have taken account of my wanderings. Put my tears in Your bottle—are they not in Your book?
9 UST When I cry to God for help, my enemies will stop attacking me. I know that will happen because God favors me. BSB BSB: Then my enemies will retreat on the day I cry for help. By this I will know that God is on my side.
10 UST I praise you, Yahweh my God, because you have promised{ to take care of me}. BSB BSB: In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise,
11 UST I trust you to do that, so I am not afraid. I know that mere humans will not be able to harm me! BSB BSB: in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
12 UST God, I have vowed{ that I will thank you publicly when you help me}, so I will offer a sacrifice to thank you. BSB BSB: Your vows are upon me, O God; I will render thank offerings to You.
13 UST I will be able to do that because you will have rescued me. No one will have killed me. Because you protect me, I will be able to live in your presence here in this world where people are alive. BSB BSB: For You have delivered my soul from death, and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.