Psalms 31:2

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly.Be a rock of refuge for me,a mountain fortress to save me.

Hebrew Names Version
Bow down your ear to me. Deliver me speedily. Be to me a strong rock, A house of defense to save me.

King James Version
Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.

English Standard Version
Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!

New Century Version
Listen to me and save me quickly. Be my rock of protection, a strong city to save me.

New English Translation
Listen to me! Quickly deliver me! Be my protector and refuge, a stronghold where I can be safe!

Amplified Bible
Incline Your ear to me, deliver me quickly; Be my rock of refuge, And a strong fortress to save me.

New American Standard Bible
Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly; Be a rock of strength for me, A stronghold to save me.

World English Bible
Bow down your ear to me. Deliver me speedily. Be to me a strong rock, A house of defense to save me.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Bowe downe thine eare to me: make haste to deliuer mee: be vnto me a stronge rocke, and an house of defence to saue me.

Legacy Standard Bible
Incline Your ear to me, deliver me quickly;Be to me a rock of strength,A fortress to save me.

Berean Standard Bible
Incline Your ear to me; come quickly to my rescue. Be my rock of refuge, the stronghold of my deliverance.

Contemporary English Version
Listen to my prayer and hurry to save me. Be my mighty rock and the fortress where I am safe.

Complete Jewish Bible
In you, Adonai , I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your justice, save me!

Darby Translation
Incline thine ear to me, deliver me speedily; be a strong rock to me, a house of defence to save me.

Easy-to-Read Version
Listen to me. Come quickly and save me. Be my Rock, my place of safety. Be my fortress and protect me!

George Lamsa Translation
Incline thine ear to me and answer me speedily; be thou unto me the God, the helper, and the house of refuge; and save me,

Good News Translation
Hear me! Save me now! Be my refuge to protect me; my defense to save me.

Lexham English Bible
Incline your ear to me. Quickly deliver me. Become my rock of refuge, a fortified keep to save me.

Literal Translation
Bow down Your ear to me; deliver me quickly, be a strong rock to me, for a house of fortresses to save me.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Bowe downe thine eare to me, make haist to delyuer me:

American Standard Version
Bow down thine ear unto me; deliver me speedily: Be thou to me a strong rock, A house of defence to save me.

Bible in Basic English
Let your ear be turned to me; take me quickly out of danger; be my strong Rock, my place of strength where I may be safe.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
In thee, O LORD, have I taken refuge; let me never be ashamed; deliver me in Thy righteousness.

King James Version (1611)
Bowe downe thine eare to me, deliuer me speedily: be thou my strong rocke, for an house of defence to saue me.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Bowe downe thine eare to me, make hast to deliuer me: be vnto me a strong rocke and a house of defence, that thou mayest saue me.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Incline thine ear to me; make haste to rescue me: be thou to me for a protecting God, and for a house of refuge to save me.

English Revised Version
Bow down thine ear unto me; deliver me speedily: be thou to me a strong rock, an house of defence to save me.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Bouwe doun thin eere to me; haaste thou to delyuere me. Be thou to me in to God defendere, and in to an hows of refuyt; that thou make me saaf.

Update Bible Version
Bow down your ear to me; deliver me speedily: Be to me a strong rock, A house of defense to save me.

Webster's Bible Translation
Bow down thy ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for a house of defense to save me.

New King James Version
Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me.

New Living Translation
Turn your ear to listen to me; rescue me quickly. Be my rock of protection, a fortress where I will be safe.

New Life Bible
Turn Your ear to me, and be quick to save me. Be my rock of strength, a strong place to keep me safe.

New Revised Standard
Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily. Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Incline unto me, thine ear, Speedily rescue me, - Become to me a Rock of refuge, a Place of security, For saving me.

Douay-Rheims Bible
(30-3) Bow down thy ear to me: make haste to deliver me. Be thou unto me a God, a protector, and a house of refuge, to save me.

Revised Standard Version
Incline thy ear to me, rescue me speedily! Be thou a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!

Young's Literal Translation
Incline unto me Thine ear hastily, deliver me, Be to me for a strong rock, For a house of bulwarks to save me.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly; Be to me a rock of strength, A stronghold to save me.

Contextual Overview

¹A David Psalm I run to you, God ; I run for dear life. Don't let me down! Take me seriously this time! Get down on my level and listen, and please—no procrastination! Your granite cave a hiding place, your high cliff aerie a place of safety. ³You're my cave to hide in, my cliff to climb. Be my safe leader, be my true mountain guide. Free me from hidden traps; I want to hide in you. I've put my life in your hands. You won't drop me, you'll never let me down. ⁶I hate all this silly religion, but you, God , I trust. I'm leaping and singing in the circle of your love; you saw my pain, you disarmed my tormentors, You didn't leave me in their clutches but gave me room to breathe. Be kind to me, God — I'm in deep, deep trouble again. I've cried my eyes out; I feel hollow inside. My life leaks away, groan by groan; my years fade out in sighs. My troubles have worn me out, turned my bones to powder. To my enemies I'm a monster; I'm ridiculed by the neighbors. My friends are horrified; they cross the street to avoid me. They want to blot me from memory, forget me like a corpse in a grave, discard me like a broken dish in the trash. The street-talk gossip has me "criminally insane"! Behind locked doors they plot how to ruin me for good.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Bow: Psalms 71:2, Psalms 86:1, Psalms 130:2, Proverbs 22:17

deliver: Psalms 40:17, Psalms 69:17, Psalms 79:1, Psalms 102:2, Psalms 143:7, Job 7:21, Luke 18:8

my strong rock: Heb. to me for a rock of strength, Psalms 18:1, Psalms 18:2, Psalms 62:7, Psalms 94:22, Deuteronomy 32:31, 2 Samuel 22:3

an house: Psalms 71:3, Psalms 90:1, Psalms 91:9, Isaiah 33:16, John 6:56, 1 John 4:12, 1 John 4:15, 1 John 4:16

Reciprocal: Genesis 32:11 - Deliver 2 Kings 19:16 - bow down 2 Chronicles 6:40 - thine ears Isaiah 17:10 - the rock Isaiah 32:2 - rock

Cross-References

Genesis 30:27
Laban said, "If you please, I have learned through divine inquiry that God has blessed me because of you." He went on, "So name your wages. I'll pay you."

Exodus 4:10
Moses raised another objection to God : "Master, please, I don't talk well. I've never been good with words, neither before nor after you spoke to me. I stutter and stammer."

Deuteronomy 19:4
This is the guideline for the murderer who flees there to take refuge: He has to have killed his neighbor without premeditation and with no history of bad blood between them. For instance, a man goes with his neighbor into the woods to cut a tree; he swings the ax, the head slips off the handle and hits his neighbor, killing him. He may then flee to one of these cities and save his life. If the city is too far away, the avenger of blood racing in hot-blooded pursuit might catch him since it's such a long distance, and kill him even though he didn't deserve it. It wasn't his fault. There was no history of hatred between them. Therefore I command you: Set aside the three cities for yourselves.

1 Samuel 19:7
Jonathan sent for David and reported to him everything that was said. Then he brought David back to Saul and everything was as it was before.

Daniel 3:19
Nebuchadnezzar, his face purple with anger, cut off Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace fired up seven times hotter than usual. He ordered some strong men from the army to tie them up, hands and feet, and throw them into the roaring furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, bound hand and foot, fully dressed from head to toe, were pitched into the roaring fire. Because the king was in such a hurry and the furnace was so hot, flames from the furnace killed the men who carried Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to it, while the fire raged around Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Bow down thine ear to me,.... Which is said after the manner of men, who, when they give attention, and listen to anything, stoop, and incline the ear; and this for God to do, as he sometimes does, is wonderful condescending grace!

deliver me speedily; which shows that he was in great danger, and his case required haste: the Lord does help right early, and is sometimes a present help in time of need, and delivers at once, as soon as the mercy is asked for;

be thou my strong rock: for shelter and security from enemies, as well as to build his everlasting salvation on, and to stand firmly upon, and out of danger;

for an house of defence to save me; both for an house to dwell in, Lord being the dwelling place of his people in all generations, and a strong habitation to which they may continually resort; and for protection and safety, their place of defence in him being the munition of rocks, a strong hold, and a strong tower from the enemy.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Bow down thine ear to me - As He does who inclines His ear toward one whom He is willing to hear, or whom He is desirous of hearing. See the notes at Psalms 17:6.

Deliver me speedily - Without delay. Or, hasten to deliver me. It is right to pray to be delivered from all evil; equally right to pray to be delivered immediately.

Be thou my strong rock - Margin: “to me for a rock of strength.” See Psalms 18:1-2, note; Psalms 18:46, note.

For an house of defense to save me - A fortified house; a house made safe and strong. It is equivalent to praying that he might have a secure abode or dwelling-place.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 31:2. Bow down thine ear — Listen to my complaint. Put thy ear to my lips, that thou mayest hear all that my feebleness is capable of uttering. We generally put our ear near to the lips of the sick and dying, that we may hear what they say. To this the text appears to allude.

Strong rock — Rocks, rocky places, or caves in the rocks, were often strong places in the land of Judea. To such natural fortifications allusions are repeatedly made by the Hebrew poetic writers.