Psalm 27-28

Easy-to-Read Version

A song of David.

27 Lord, you are my Light and my Savior,
    so why should I be afraid of anyone?
The Lord is where my life is safe,
    so I will be afraid of no one!
²Evil people might attack me.
    They might try to destroy my body.
Yes, my enemies might attack me and try to destroy me,
    but they will stumble and fall.
³Even if an army surrounds me, I will not be afraid.
    Even if people attack me in war, I will trust in the Lord.

⁴I ask only one thing from the Lord.
    This is what I want most:
Let me live in the Lord’s house all my life,
    enjoying the Lord’s beauty
    and spending time in his palace.^[a]

⁵He will protect me when I am in danger.
    He will hide me in his tent.^[b]
    He will take me up to his place of safety.
⁶If he will help me defeat the enemies around me,
    I will offer sacrifices in his tent with shouts of joy.
    I will sing and play songs to honor the Lord.

⁷Lord, hear my voice.
    Be kind and answer me.
⁸My heart told me to come to you, Lord,
    so I am coming to ask for your help.
⁹Don’t turn away from me.
    Don’t be angry with your servant.
    You are the only one who can help me.
My God, don’t leave me all alone.
    You are my Savior.
¹⁰Even if my mother and father leave me,
    the Lord will take me in.
¹¹I have enemies, Lord, so teach me your ways.
    Show me the right way to live.
¹²My enemies have attacked me.
    They have told lies about me and have tried to hurt me.
¹³But I really believe
    that I will see the Lord’s goodness before I die.^[c]
¹⁴Wait for the Lord’s help.
    Be strong and brave,
    and wait for the Lord’s help.

A song of David.

28 Lord, you are my Rock.
    I am calling to you for help.
    Don’t close your ears to my prayers.
If you don’t answer me,
    I will be counted among the dead.
²I lift my hands and pray toward your Most Holy Place.
    Hear me when I call to you.
    Show mercy to me.
³Don’t treat me like the evil people
    who do wicked things.
They greet their neighbors like friends,
    but secretly plan to hurt them.
⁴They do bad things to others,
    so make bad things happen to them.
    Give them the punishment they deserve.
⁵They don’t notice what the Lord does.
    They ignore all the good things he has made.
So instead of building them up,
    he will destroy them.

⁶Praise the Lord!
    He has heard my prayer for mercy.
⁷The Lord is my strength and shield.
    I trusted him with all my heart.
He helped me, so I am happy.
    I sing songs of praise to him.
⁸The Lord protects his chosen one.^[d]
    He saves him and gives him strength.

⁹Save your people.
Bless those who belong to you.
Lead them and honor them^[e] forever.

Footnotes

Psalm 27:4 palace A large house built for a king. Here, it is the Temple. See “Temple” in the Word List.
Psalm 27:5 tent The place where God lives among his people. Here, it is the Temple in Jerusalem. See “Holy Tent” and “Temple” in the Word List.
Psalm 27:13 before I die Literally, “in the land of the living.”
Psalm 28:8 his chosen one Or “his anointed one.” This might be anyone God chose to serve in a special way, but it is usually the king he has chosen.
Psalm 28:9 honor them Or “forgive them.” Literally, “lift them up.”