Psalms Chapter 16
Showing all 11 verses for Psalms Chapter 16.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust. "
"Keep me safe, God, because I've put my trust in you."
You don't need fancy words to ask for help - 'keep me safe, I trust you' said honestly is more than enough. Simplicity in asking is not a lesser form of trust.
"O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee; "
"I said to the LORD, 'You are my Lord; anything good in me doesn't add anything to you.'"
You don't need to prove your worth to be loved or valued - nothing you achieve makes you more lovable, and nothing you lack makes you less. That pressure to constantly earn your place isn't coming from me.
"But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight. "
"But my true delight is in the faithful people on earth, the truly excellent ones."
Surround yourself with people whose character you genuinely admire - that companionship isn't a distraction from a meaningful life, it's one of the main places meaning actually gets lived out.
"Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips. "
"Those who rush after other gods will pile up nothing but sorrow for themselves; I won't take part in their blood offerings or even speak their names."
Chasing after whatever culture tells you will finally satisfy you - status, image, endless acquisition - tends to multiply your sorrows, not end them. Choose your devotion carefully; it shapes everything else.
"The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. "
"The LORD is my share, my inheritance, my portion in life - you are the one who secures what belongs to me."
What you build your sense of security and identity around matters enormously - property, money and possessions can all be lost, but you can choose to root your sense of 'enough' in something that can't be taken from you.
"The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. "
"My portion of land has fallen in a beautiful place; truly, I have a wonderful inheritance."
Look honestly at your life and notice what's actually good about it, rather than only measuring it against what you don't have. Contentment is a skill worth practising, not a feeling you wait to stumble into.
"I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. "
"I will praise the LORD, who has given me guidance; even at night, deep inside, I sense his instruction."
Pay attention to what surfaces in your quiet, honest moments - late at night, when the noise of the day settles - that's often exactly when real clarity and guidance show up, if you're willing to listen.
"I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. "
"I have kept the LORD constantly in front of me; because he's right beside me, I won't be shaken."
Stability isn't something that just happens to lucky people - it's something you build through the daily habit of keeping what actually matters in clear view, rather than getting swept along by whatever's loudest in the moment.
"Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. "
"So my heart is glad, my whole being rejoices - even my body can rest in hope."
Real hope isn't just a mental exercise - it can genuinely settle your body, help you actually rest, not just think positive thoughts while staying tense underneath. Let peace reach all the way down.
"For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou thine Holy One to see corruption. "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"You will not abandon me to the grave, nor let your faithful one decay in death."
Even facing the biggest, most final fear anyone has - death itself - it's possible to hold a hope that doesn't collapse under it. You don't need to have that fully figured out to let a flicker of that hope in.
"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. "
"You will show me the way that leads to life; being in your presence brings complete joy; at your right hand there is lasting, everlasting pleasure."
What you're actually looking for underneath every pleasure you chase is closeness, presence, real connection - not more stuff, more status, more distraction. Look for that directly, and you'll find something that doesn't run dry.