BibleInTonguesWEB
Psalms 64
A complaint built almost entirely around weapons of speech. The enemies here do not march; they sharpen their tongues like swords and aim words like arrows, shooting from ambush at innocent people who never see it coming. The poem hinges on a surprise reversal in verse 7: the God who was being asked to listen suddenly shoots back, and the plotters' own tongues fall on them. Notice how the same arrow imagery is turned against its makers.
- 1
Hear my voice, God, in my complaint. Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
- 2
Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from the noisy crowd of the ones doing evil;
- 3
who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and aim their arrows, deadly words,
- 4
to shoot innocent men from ambushes. They shoot at him suddenly and fearlessly.
- 5
They encourage themselves in evil plans. They talk about laying snares secretly. They say, “Who will see them?”
- 6
They plot injustice, saying, “We have made a perfect plan!” Surely man’s mind and heart are cunning.
- 7
But God will shoot at them. They will be suddenly struck down with an arrow.
- 8
Their own tongues shall ruin them. All who see them will shake their heads.
- 9
All mankind shall be afraid. They shall declare the work of God, and shall wisely ponder what he has done.
- 10
The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall take refuge in him. All the upright in heart shall praise him!
- 1
Ouve a minha voz, ó Deus, na minha queixa. Preserva a minha vida do medo do inimigo.
- 2
Esconde-me da conspiração dos ímpios, da multidão barulhenta dos que praticam o mal;
- 3
que afiam a língua como uma espada, e apontam suas flechas, palavras mortais,
- 4
para atirar de emboscadas contra homens inocentes. Eles atiram nele de repente e sem medo.
- 5
Eles se encorajam em planos malignos. Falam sobre armar laços secretamente. Eles dizem: “Quem os verá?”
- 6
Eles tramam a injustiça, dizendo: “Fizemos um plano perfeito!” Certamente a mente e o coração do homem são astutos.
- 7
Mas Deus atirará contra eles. Eles serão de repente abatidos por uma flecha.
- 8
Suas próprias línguas os arruinarão. Todos os que os virem balançarão a cabeça.
- 9
Toda a humanidade temerá. Eles declararão a obra de Deus, e refletirão sabiamente sobre o que ele fez.
- 10
Os justos se alegrarão no SENHOR, e nele se refugiarão. Todos os retos de coração o louvarão!
The boast that backfires
The wicked congratulate themselves twice over: they plot in secret asking "Who will see them?" (v. 5) and declare "We have made a perfect plan!" (v. 6). That confidence in being unseen is exactly what the psalm dismantles, since God's single arrow (v. 7) undoes the careful ambush.
By the end the witnesses who watch the schemers fall (v. 9) end up pondering God's work, so the enemies' downfall becomes a public lesson rather than mere revenge.
Context layers
Keep these closed by default and open them only when you want more context.
Share a small range via:
/en/web/psalms/64/16-18
Or use the Passage link builder.