Psalms 31:13

New King James Version

For I hear the slander of many; Fear is on every side; While they take counsel together against me, They scheme to take away my life.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I have heard the gossip of many;terror is on every side.When they conspired against me,they plotted to take my life.

Hebrew Names Version
For I have heard the slander of many, terror on every side, While they conspire together against me, They plot to take away my life.

King James Version
For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.

English Standard Version
For I hear the whispering of many— terror on every side!— as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life.

New Century Version
I have heard many insults. Terror is all around me. They make plans against me and want to kill me.

New English Translation
For I hear what so many are saying, the terrifying news that comes from every direction. When they plot together against me, they figure out how they can take my life.

Amplified Bible
For I have heard the slander and whispering of many, Terror is on every side; While they schemed together against me, They plotted to take away my life.

New American Standard Bible
For I have heard the slander of many, Terror is on every side; While they took counsel together against me, They schemed to take away my life.

World English Bible
For I have heard the slander of many, terror on every side, While they conspire together against me, They plot to take away my life.

Geneva Bible (1587)
For I haue heard the rayling of great men: feare was on euery side, while they conspired together against mee, and consulted to take my life.

Legacy Standard Bible
For I have heard the bad report of many,Terror is on every side;While they took counsel together against me,They schemed to take my life.

Berean Standard Bible
For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side. They conspire against me and plot to take my life.

Contemporary English Version
I hear the crowds whisper, "Everyone is afraid!" They are plotting and scheming to murder me.

Complete Jewish Bible
Like a dead man, I have passed from their minds; I have become like a broken pot.

Darby Translation
For I have heard the slander of many—terror on every side—when they take counsel together against me: they plot to take away my life.

Easy-to-Read Version
I hear them whispering about me. They have turned against me and plan to kill me.

George Lamsa Translation
For I have heard of the complicity of many persons; while they connived together against me, they schemed to take away my life.

Good News Translation
I hear many enemies whispering; terror is all around me. They are making plans against me, plotting to kill me.

Lexham English Bible
For I hear the rumor of many, "Terror on every side!" When conspiring together against me, they have plotted to take my life.

Literal Translation
For I have heard the slander of many; fear is all around; because they are fixing plots together against me, they planned to take away my life.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
I am become a very reprofe amonge all myne enemies, my neghbours & they of myne owne acquauntaunce are afrayed of me: they yt se me in the strete, coveye them selues fro me.

American Standard Version
For I have heard the defaming of many, Terror on every side: While they took counsel together against me, They devised to take away my life.

Bible in Basic English
False statements against me have come to my ears; fear was on every side: they were talking together against me, designing to take away my life.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind; I am like a useless vessel.

King James Version (1611)
For I haue heard the slaunder of many, feare was on euery side: while they tooke counsell together against me, they deuised to take away my life.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
For I haue hearde the villanie of the multitude, and feare was on euery side [me]: whyle they conspired together against me, [and] toke their counsell to take away my life.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For I heard the slander of many that dwelt round about: when they were gathered together against me, they took counsel to take my life.

English Revised Version
For I have heard the defaming of many, terror on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
for Y herde dispisyng of many men dwellynge in cumpas. In that thing the while thei camen togidere ayens me; thei counceliden to take my lijf.

Update Bible Version
For I have heard the defaming of many, Terror on every side: While they took counsel together against me, They devised to take away my life.

Webster's Bible Translation
For I have heard the slander of many: fear [was] on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.

New Living Translation
I have heard the many rumors about me, and I am surrounded by terror. My enemies conspire against me, plotting to take my life.

New Life Bible
For I have heard many say things to hurt me. Fear is on every side. They planned together against me. They thought of ways to take away my life.

New Revised Standard
For I hear the whispering of many— terror all around!— as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For I have heard the whispering of many - A terror round about! When they have sat in conclave together against me, to take away my life, have they intrigued.

Douay-Rheims Bible
(30-14) For I have heard the blame of many that dwell round about. While they assembled together against me, they consulted to take away my life.

Revised Standard Version
Yea, I hear the whispering of many--terror on every side! --as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life.

Young's Literal Translation
For I have heard an evil account of many, Fear [is] round about. In their being united against me, To take my life they have devised,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
For I have heard the slander of many, Terror is on every side; While they took counsel together against me, They schemed to take away my life.

Contextual Overview

⁹ Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body! ¹⁰ For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away. ¹¹ I am a reproach among all my enemies, But especially among my neighbors, And am repulsive to my acquaintances; Those who see me outside flee from me. ¹² I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel. ¹³ For I hear the slander of many; Fear is on every side; While they take counsel together against me, They scheme to take away my life. ¹⁴ But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD; I say, "You are my God." ¹⁵ My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me. ¹⁶ Make Your face shine upon Your servant; Save me for Your mercies' sake. ¹⁷ Do not let me be ashamed, O LORD, for I have called upon You; Let the wicked be ashamed; Let them be silent in the grave. ¹⁸ Let the lying lips be put to silence, Which speak insolent things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I have: Psalms 55:10, Psalms 101:5, 1 Samuel 22:8-10, 1 Samuel 24:9, Jeremiah 20:10, Luke 23:1, Luke 23:2, Luke 23:5

fear: Psalms 56:1-3, Psalms 57:4, Jeremiah 6:25, Jeremiah 20:3, Jeremiah 20:4, *marg. Lamentations 2:22

while: 1 Samuel 19:10-17, 1 Samuel 20:33, 1 Samuel 23:19, 1 Samuel 23:20, 2 Samuel 17:1-4, Jeremiah 11:19, Matthew 26:3, Matthew 26:4, Matthew 26:59, Matthew 27:1

Reciprocal: Genesis 32:7 - greatly Genesis 37:18 - conspired Psalms 21:11 - imagined Psalms 35:20 - but Psalms 41:7 - against Psalms 64:1 - preserve Psalms 109:2 - the mouth Psalms 143:3 - made me Jeremiah 49:29 - Fear John 11:53 - they Acts 23:12 - that

Cross-References

Genesis 31:3
Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you."

Genesis 31:12
And He said, "Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.

Genesis 31:22
And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled.

Genesis 32:9
Then Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the LORD who said to me, "Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you':

Genesis 35:7
And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, [fn] because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For I have heard the slander of many,.... Both enemies and neighbours;

fear [was] on every side; his enemies were a "Magormissabib" to him,

Jeremiah 20:3; encompassed him around, so that he was in fear from every quarter;

while they took counsel together against me; how to apprehend him, and what to do with him;

they devised to take away my life; nothing short of that would satisfy; but life is in the hand of God; men may devise, but God disappoints, and his counsel stands; hence the psalmist was encouraged, after all, to trust in him, in this time of imminent danger, as follows.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For I have heard the slander of many - The reproach; the false accusations; the unjust aspersions. We are here more definitely informed as to another of the sources of the trouble that came upon him. It was “slander.” He had already referred to “two” sources of trouble; one Psalms 31:11 that he was “reproached” by his friends and neighbors, and that his society was shunned by them; a second, that he was “forgotten” by those who ought to have remembered him, and that they treated him as though he were dead, Psalms 31:12. The third is referred to now; to wit, that he was the subject of “slander,” or of false reports. What was the “nature” of those false charges we are not informed. But it is not needful that we should know precisely what they were. It is enough, in order to see the depth and aggravation of his trouble, to know that he “was” exposed to this; and that, to all that he had to endure from other sources, there was this added - that his name was reproached and cast out as evil - that he was subjected to “slander,”

“Whose edge is sharper than the sword; whose tongue

Outvenoms all the worms of Nile; whose breath

Rides on the posting winds; and doth belie

All corners of the world.”

Cymbeline, Act iii., Sc. iv.

Fear was on every side - From the causes already specified. He knew not whom to trust. He seemed to have no friend. He was afraid, therefore, of every one that he met.

While they took counsel together against me - See the notes at Psalms 2:2. They entered into a conspiracy or combination.

They devised to take away my life - They devised measures, or they laid a plot, thus to kill me. These are the grounds of the earnest prayer which he urges in Psalms 31:9 : “Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 31:13. I have heard the slander of many — To this and the two foregoing verses the reader may find several parallels; Jeremiah 18:18-15, and ten first verses of Jeremiah 20:1-10. This has caused several to suppose that Jeremiah was the author of this Psalm.