Psalms
Chapter 16
David asks God to keep him safe and says that every good thing he has comes from God. He refuses to worship other gods, and instead calls the LORD his share, his cup, and the land marked out for him. He says God guides him day and night, so he is steady and glad, and he trusts that God will not leave him among the dead but will show him the path of life.
Plain reading written for preteens. Clear and complete, at about a fifth grade reading level.
Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.
1Keep me safe, O God. I come to you for shelter.
2O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee;
2I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord. Apart from you I have nothing good."
3But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.
3As for God's people who live in this land, they are the fine ones. I am glad to be with them.
4Their 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.
4People who run after other gods will get sorrow on top of sorrow. I will not pour out their offerings of blood. I will not even speak the names of those gods.
5The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
5The LORD is my share and my cup. You keep what is mine safe.
6The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.
6The land measured out for me fell in pleasant places. What I have been given is good.
"The lines are fallen unto me" comes from how land was divided up. A measuring line marked the edges of each family's field, and the shares were handed out by lot. David is saying he got a good piece of land.
7I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
7I will praise the LORD, because he gives me advice. Even at night, something deep inside me teaches me.
The KJV says "my reins." That is an old word for the kidneys, which people then thought of as the deep inside part of a person where feelings and choices come from.
8I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
8I keep the LORD in front of me all the time. He is at my right side, so nothing can shake me.
9Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
9So my heart is glad, and my tongue sings for joy. My body also will rest, safe.
10For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
10You will not leave me among the dead. You will not let your holy one rot in the grave.
The KJV word here is "hell," but the Hebrew word is Sheol, the place of the dead. The verse is about not being left in the grave, not about punishment.
11Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
11You show me the path of life. Being with you fills me with joy. At your right hand there is happiness that never ends.
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