Psalm 57

Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth

To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam[1] of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.

57:1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. ²I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. ³He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

⁴My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts— the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.

⁵Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!

⁶They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah ⁷My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! ⁸ Awake, my glory!^[2]Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! ⁹I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. ¹⁰For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.

¹¹Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!

[1] Probably a musical or liturgical term [2] Or my whole being

Psalm 58

God Who Judges the Earth

To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam[3] of David.

58:1 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?[4] Do you judge the children of man uprightly? ²No, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth.

³The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies. ⁴They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear, ⁵so that it does not hear the voice of charmers or of the cunning enchanter.

⁶O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord! ⁷Let them vanish like water that runs away; when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted. ⁸Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime, like the stillborn child who never sees the sun. ⁹Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns, whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!^[5]

¹⁰The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked. ¹¹Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.”

[3] Probably a musical or liturgical term [4] Or mighty lords (by revocalization; Hebrew in silence) [5] The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain

Psalm 59

Deliver Me from My Enemies

To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam[6] of David, when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.

59:1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me; ²deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men.

³For behold, they lie in wait for my life; fierce men stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord, ⁴ for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Awake, come to meet me, and see! ⁵ You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel. Rouse yourself to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah

⁶Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. ⁷There they are, bellowing with their mouths with swords in their lips— for “Who,” they think,^[7]“will hear us?”

⁸But you, O Lord, laugh at them; you hold all the nations in derision. ⁹O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. ¹⁰My God in his steadfast love[8] will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.

¹¹Kill them not, lest my people forget; make them totter[9] by your power and bring them down, O Lord, our shield! ¹²For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter, ¹³consume them in wrath; consume them till they are no more, that they may know that God rules over Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah

¹⁴Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. ¹⁵They wander about for food and growl if they do not get their fill.

¹⁶But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. ¹⁷O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.

[6] Probably a musical or liturgical term [7] Hebrew lacks they think [8] Or The God who shows me steadfast love [9] Or wander

Psalm 60

He Will Tread Down Our Foes

To the choirmaster: according to Shushan Eduth. A Miktam[10] of David; for instruction; when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return struck down twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.

60:1 O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses; you have been angry; oh, restore us. ²You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open; repair its breaches, for it totters. ³You have made your people see hard things; you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger.

⁴You have set up a banner for those who fear you, that they may flee to it from the bow. 11] Selah ⁵That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer us!

⁶God has spoken in his holiness:[12] “With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Vale of Succoth. ⁷Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet; Judah is my scepter. ⁸Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”^[13]

⁹Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? ¹⁰Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go forth, O God, with our armies. ¹¹Oh, grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! ¹²With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.

[10] Probably musical or liturgical terms [11] Or that it may be displayed because of truth [12] Or sanctuary [13] Revocalization (compare Psalm 108:10); Masoretic Text over me, O Philistia, shout in triumph

Psalm 61

Lead Me to the Rock

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. Of David.

61:1 Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; ²from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, ³for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.

⁴Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah ⁵For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

⁶Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations! ⁷May he be enthroned forever before God; appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!

⁸So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day.