Protection and Refuge

¹Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread? ²When the wicked came upon me to devour my flesh, my enemies and foes stumbled and fell. ³Though an army encamps around me, my heart will not fear; though a war breaks out against me, I will keep my trust. ⁴One thing I have asked of the LORD; this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek Him in His temple. ⁵For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will set me high upon a rock.

⁷The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them.

¹For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. ²Therefore we will not fear, though the earth is transformed and the mountains are toppled into the depths of the seas, ³though their waters roar and foam and the mountains quake in the surge. Selah

¹He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. ²I will say to the LORD, “You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” ³Surely He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly plague. ⁴He will cover you with His feathers; under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and rampart. ⁵You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, ⁶nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the calamity that destroys at noon. ⁷Though a thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, no harm will come near you. ⁸You will only see it with your eyes and witness the punishment of the wicked. ⁹Because you have made the LORD your dwelling—my refuge, the Most High— ¹⁰no evil will befall you, no plague will approach your tent. ¹¹For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. ¹²They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. ¹³You will tread on the lion and cobra; you will trample the young lion and serpent. ¹⁴“Because he loves Me, I will deliver him; because he knows My name, I will protect him. ¹⁵When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him. ¹⁶With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”

¹A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? ²My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. ³He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. ⁴Behold, the Protector of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. ⁵The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is the shade on your right hand. ⁶The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. ⁷The LORD will guard you from all evil; He will preserve your soul. ⁸The LORD will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore.

¹⁴In righteousness you will be established, far from oppression, for you will have no fear. Terror will be far removed, for it will not come near you. ¹⁵If anyone attacks you, it is not from Me; whoever assails you will fall before you. ¹⁶Behold, I have created the craftsman who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its task; and I have created the destroyer to wreak havoc. ¹⁷No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.

⁵For I will be a wall of fire around it, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory within it.’”

¹¹I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them by Your name, the name You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one. ¹²While I was with them, I protected and preserved them by Your name, the name You gave Me. Not one of them has been lost, except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. ¹³But now I am coming to You; and I am saying these things while I am in the world, so that they may have My joy fulfilled within them. ¹⁴I have given them Your word and the world has hated them. For they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one.

³But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.

¹⁸And the Lord will rescue me from every evil action and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

²⁴Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy—