Psalms 41

Chapter context

What is happening in Psalms 41?

prayerpraiselamentkingship

Psalms 41 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as Book II. Psalms is the Bible’s great book of sung prayer, teaching the full range of faithful speech from anguish and repentance to jubilation and doxology. Read this chapter with the wider themes of prayer, praise, and lament in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

¹ Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. ² The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. ³ The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness. ⁴ I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee. ⁵ Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish? ⁶ And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it. ⁷ All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt. ⁸ An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him: and now that he lieth he shall rise up no more. ⁹ Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. ¹⁰ But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them. ¹¹ By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me. ¹² And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever. ¹³ Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.