O LORD, let me not be ashamed, for I have called on You. Let the wicked be put to shame; let them lie silent in Sheol.
Parallel translations
- WEB Let me not be disappointed, Yahweh, for I have called on you. Let the wicked be disappointed. Let them be silent in Sheol.
- KJV Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.
- NKJV Do not let me be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon You; Let the wicked be ashamed; Let them be silent in the grave.
- NASB Let me not be put to shame, Lord, for I call upon You; Let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol.
- NLT Don’t let me be disgraced, O Lord, for I call out to you for help. Let the wicked be disgraced; let them lie silent in the grave.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
David asks not to be put to shame since he calls on God, but that the wicked be shamed and silenced in death. It pleads for vindication and the defeat of evil.
Overview
David's confidence is that those who call on God will not be disappointed, while the wicked will be silenced. The prayer entrusts justice to God rather than personal revenge. It reflects the certainty that God ultimately vindicates the faithful and judges the unrepentant.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 22
- Ps 25:2–3in You, my God, I trust. Do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
- Jer 20:11But the LORD is with me like a fearsome warrior. Therefore, my persecutors will stumble and will not prevail. Since they have not succeeded, they will be utterly put to shame, with an everlasting disgrace that will never be forgotten.
- Ps 115:17It is not the dead who praise the LORD, nor any who descend into silence.
- Ps 34:5Those who look to Him are radiant with joy; their faces shall never be ashamed.
- Ps 35:26May those who gloat in my distress be ashamed and confounded; may those who exalt themselves over me be clothed in shame and reproach.
- Isa 41:11–12Behold, all who rage against you will be ashamed and disgraced; those who contend with you will be reduced to nothing and will perish.
- Ps 94:17Unless the LORD had been my helper, I would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.
- Ps 71:24My tongue will indeed proclaim Your righteousness all day long, for those who seek my harm are disgraced and confounded.
- 1 Sam 2:9He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness; for by his own strength shall no man prevail.
- Ps 70:2–3May those who seek my life be ashamed and confounded; may those who wish me harm be repelled and humiliated.
- Ps 40:14–15May those who seek my life be ashamed and confounded; may those who wish me harm be repelled and humiliated.
- Ps 69:6–7May those who hope in You not be ashamed through me, O Lord GOD of Hosts; may those who seek You not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel.
- Ps 35:4May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plan to harm me be driven back and confounded.
- Isa 45:16–17They will all be put to shame and humiliated; the makers of idols will depart together in disgrace.
- Dan 12:2And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt.
- Joel 2:26–27You will have plenty to eat, until you are satisfied. You will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you. My people will never again be put to shame.
- Ps 6:10All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace.
- Isa 50:6–7I offered My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who tore out My beard. I did not hide My face from scorn and spittle.
- Matt 22:12–13‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But the man was speechless.
- Ps 31:1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; save me by Your righteousness.
- Ps 83:16–17Cover their faces with shame, that they may seek Your name, O LORD.
- Isa 65:13–14Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: “My servants will eat, but you will go hungry; My servants will drink, but you will go thirsty; My servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 31:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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