Psalms 21
The king rejoices in the LORD's strength and the victories God has given him. The psalm celebrates God's blessings on the king -- life, honor, and a crown of gold -- and prophesies the destruction of all the king's enemies by the hand of the LORD.
| v | King James Version | Modern English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! | The king rejoices in your strength, LORD. How great is His joy in the victories You give! |
| 2 | Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah. | You have granted Him His heart's desire and have not withheld the request of His lips. |
| 3 | For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head. | You came to greet Him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on His head. |
| 4 | He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever. | He asked You for life, and You gave it to Him — length of days, for ever and ever. |
| 5 | His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him. | Through the victories You gave, His glory is great; You have bestowed on Him splendor and majesty. |
| 6 | For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance. | For You have made Him most blessed forever; You have made Him exceedingly glad with Your countenance. |
| 7 | For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved. | For the king trusts in the LORD; through the mercy of the Most High He will not be shaken. |
| 8 | Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee. | Your hand will lay hold on all Your enemies; Your right hand will seize Your foes. |
| 9 | Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them. | When You appear for battle, You will burn them up as in a blazing furnace. The LORD will swallow them up in His wrath. His fire will consume them. |
| 10 | Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men. | You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their posterity from mankind. |
| 11 | For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform. | Though they plot evil against You and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed. |
| 12 | Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them. | You will make them turn their backs when You aim at them with drawn bow. |
| 13 | Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power. | Be exalted in Your strength, LORD; we will sing and praise Your might. |