Psalm 57-61

Amplified Bible

Prayer for Rescue from Persecutors.

To the Chief Musician; set to [the tune of] “Do Not Destroy.” A Mikhtam of David. [A record of memorable thoughts of David] when he fled from Saul in the cave.

57 Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious and merciful to me,
For my soul finds shelter and safety in You,
And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge and be confidently secure
Until destruction passes by.
²
I will cry to God Most High,
Who accomplishes all things on my behalf [for He completes my purpose in His plan].
³
He will send from heaven and save me;
He calls to account him who tramples me down. Selah.
God will send out His lovingkindness and His truth.

⁴
My life is among lions;
I must lie among those who breathe out fire—
The sons of men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
And their tongue a sharp sword.
⁵
Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
Let Your glory and majesty be over all the earth.
⁶
They ^[a]set a net for my steps;
My very life was bowed down.
They dug a pit before me;
Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah.

⁷
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast and confident!
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises [to You]!
⁸
Awake, my glory!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
⁹
I will praise and give thanks to You, O Lord, among the people;
I will sing praises to You among the nations.
¹⁰
For Your faithfulness and lovingkindness are great, reaching to the heavens,
And Your truth to the clouds.
¹¹
Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
Let Your glory and majesty be over all the earth.

Prayer for the Punishment of the Wicked.

To the Chief Musician; set to [the tune of] “Do Not Destroy.” A Mikhtam of David. [A record of memorable thoughts of David].

58 Do you indeed speak righteousness, O gods (heavenly beings)?
Do you judge fairly, O sons of men?^(A)
²
No, in your heart you devise wrongdoing;
On earth you deal out the violence of your hands.
³
The wicked are estranged from the womb;
These go astray from birth, speaking lies [even twisted partial truths].
⁴
Their poison is like the venom of a serpent;
They are like the deaf horned viper that stops up its ear,
⁵
So that it does not listen to the voice of charmers,
Or of the skillful enchanter casting [cunning] spells.

⁶
O God, break their teeth in their mouth;
Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord.
⁷
Let them flow away like water that runs off;
When he aims his arrows, let them be as headless shafts.
⁸
Let them be as a snail which melts away (secretes slime) as it goes along,
Like the miscarriage of a woman which never sees the sun.
⁹
Before your cooking pots can feel the fire of thorns [burning under them as fuel],
He will sweep them away with a whirlwind, the green and the burning ones alike.

¹⁰
The [unyieldingly] righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance [of God];
He will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
¹¹
Men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
Surely there is a God who judges on the earth.”

Prayer for Rescue from Enemies.

To the Chief Musician; set to [the tune of] “Do Not Destroy.” A Mikhtam of David, [a record of memorable thoughts] when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.

59 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
Set me securely on an inaccessibly high place away from those who rise up against me.
²
Deliver me from those who practice wrongdoing,
And save me from bloodthirsty men.
³
Look! They lie in wait for my life;
Fierce and powerful men [are uniting together to] launch an attack against me,
Not for my wrongdoing nor for any sin of mine, O Lord.
⁴
They run and set themselves against me though there is no guilt in me;
Stir Yourself to meet and help me, and see [what they are doing]!
⁵
You, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel,
Arise to punish all the nations;
Spare no one and do not be merciful to any who treacherously plot evil. Selah.
⁶
They return at evening, they howl and snarl like dogs,
And go [prowling] around the city.
⁷
Look how they belch out [insults] with their mouths;
Swords [of sarcasm, ridicule, slander, and lies] are in their lips,
For they say, “Who hears us?”
⁸
But You, O Lord, will laugh at them [in scorn];
You scoff at and deride all the nations.

⁹
O [God] my strength, I will watch for You;
For God is my stronghold [my refuge, my protector, my high tower].
¹⁰
My God in His [steadfast] lovingkindness will meet me;
God will let me look triumphantly on my enemies [who lie in wait for me].
¹¹
Do not kill them, or my people will forget;
Scatter them and make them wander [endlessly] back and forth by Your power, and bring them down,
O Lord our shield!
¹²
For the sin of their mouths and the words of their lips,
Let them even be trapped in their pride,
And on account of the curses and lies which they tell.
¹³
Destroy them in wrath, destroy them so that they may be no more;
Let them know that God rules over Jacob (Israel)
To the ends of the earth. Selah.
¹⁴
They return at evening, they howl and snarl like dogs,
And go [prowling] around the city.
¹⁵
They wander around for food [to devour]
And growl all night if they are not satisfied.

¹⁶
But as for me, I will sing of Your mighty strength and power;
Yes, I will sing joyfully of Your lovingkindness in the morning;
For You have been my stronghold
And a refuge in the day of my distress.
¹⁷
To You, O [God] my strength, I will sing praises;
For God is my stronghold [my refuge, my protector, my high tower], the God who shows me [steadfast] lovingkindness.

Lament over Defeat in Battle, and Prayer for Help.

To the Chief Musician; set to [the tune of] “The Lily of the Testimony.” A Mikhtam of David [intended to record memorable thoughts and] to teach; when he struggled with the Arameans of Mesopotamia and the Arameans of Zobah, and when Joab returned and struck twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

60 O God, You have rejected us and cast us off. You have broken [down our defenses and scattered] us;
You have been angry; O restore us and turn again to us.
²
You have made the land quake, You have split it open;
Heal its rifts, for it shakes and totters.
³
You have made Your people experience hardship;
You have given us wine to drink that makes us stagger and fall.
⁴
You have set up a banner for those who fear You [with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder—a banner to shield them from attack],
A banner that may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.
⁵
That Your beloved ones may be rescued,
Save with Your right hand and answer us.

⁶
God has spoken in His holiness [in His promises]:
“I will rejoice, I will divide [the land of] Shechem and measure out the Valley of Succoth [west to east].
⁷
“Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim is My helmet;
Judah is My scepter.
⁸
“Moab is My ^[b]washbowl;
Over Edom I shall throw My shoe [in triumph];
Over Philistia I raise the shout [of victory].”

⁹
Who will bring me into the besieged city [of Petra]?
Who will lead me to Edom?
¹⁰
Have You not rejected us, O God?
And will You not go out with our armies?
¹¹
Give us help against the enemy,
For the help of man is worthless (ineffectual, without purpose).
¹²
Through God we will have victory,
For He will trample down our enemies.

Confidence in God’s Protection.

To the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

61 Hear my cry, O God;
Listen to my prayer.
²
From the end of the earth I call to You, when my heart is overwhelmed and weak;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I [a rock that is too high to reach without Your help].
³
For You have been a shelter and a refuge for me,
A strong tower against the enemy.
⁴
Let me dwell in Your tent forever;
Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah.

⁵
For You have heard my vows, O God;
You have given me the inheritance of those who fear Your name [with reverence].
⁶
You will prolong the king’s life [adding days upon days];
His years will be like many generations.
⁷
He will sit enthroned forever before [the face of] God;
Appoint lovingkindness and truth to watch over and preserve him.
⁸
So I will sing praise to Your name forever,
Paying my vows day by day.