For the Chief Musician; upon an eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm of David.
1Help, Yahweh; for the godly man ceases.
For the faithful fail from among the children of men.
2Everyone lies to his neighbor.
They speak with flattering lips, and with a double heart.
3May Yahweh cut off all flattering lips,
and the tongue that boasts,
4who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail.
Our lips are our own.
Who is lord over us?”
5“Because of the oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy,
I will now arise,” says Yahweh;
“I will set him in safety from those who malign him.”
6Yahweh’s words are flawless words,
as silver refined in a clay furnace, purified seven times.
7You will keep them, Yahweh.
You will preserve them from this generation forever.
8The wicked walk on every side,
when what is vile is exalted among the sons of men.
David is a key figure in the Bible. He was the son of Jesse, the great-grandson of Boaz and Ruth (Ruth 4:17, 22), and father of King Solomon. In the sovereign choice of God, David the shepherd became David the King and ancestor of the future Messiah, Jesus. He was born in Bethlehem in the land of Judah, being the son of Jesse and the great-grandson of Boaz and Ruth (Ruth 4:17, 22). After the death of King Saul, this shepherd was chosen by God to be the chief shepherd of His people, Israel. He is notable for being the young man who stood up to the giant Goliath on behalf of the people of Israel. David had many flaws in his character, but was beloved by God.
In addition to David's various military and political achievements, he was also renowned as a musician and wrote several of the Psalms. Ruth 4.22; 1 Samuel 16.11-1 Kings 2.12, 32; 8.17-20; 9.4; 2 Kings 21.7; 1 Chronicles 2.15; 3.1-9; 6.31; 10.14-29.30; Psalms 3-9; 11-32; 34-41; 51-65; 68-70; 86; 89.3, 20, 35, 49; 101; 103; 108-110; 122.5; 124; 131; 132.1, 10, 11, 17; 138-145; Isaiah 29.1; Ezekiel 37.24, 25; Matthew 1.1, 6, 17; 12.3; Luke 3.31; 6.3; 20.41-44; John 71.42; Acts 2.25-31; 4.25,26; 7.45, 46; 13. 22, 23, 34, 36; Hebrews 4.7; 11.32; Revelation 3.7; 22.16.
Biographies of Bible Characters, People and Characters in the Bible