Psalm 57-61
New American Standard Bible
Prayer for Rescue from Persecutors.
For the music director; set to [a]Al-tashheth. A [b]Mikhtam of David, [c]when he fled from Saul in the cave.
57 Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me,
For my soul (A)takes refuge in You;
And in the (B)shadow of Your wings I will take refuge
Until destruction (C)passes by.
2 I will cry to God Most High,
To God who (D)accomplishes all things for me.
3 He will (E)send from heaven and save me;
He rebukes the one who [d](F)tramples upon me. Selah
God will send His [e](G)favor and His truth.
4 My soul is among (H)lions;
I must lie among those who devour,
Among sons of mankind whose (I)teeth are spears and arrows,
And their (J)tongue is a sharp sword.
5 (K)Be exalted above the heavens, God;
May Your glory be above all the earth.
6 They have prepared a (L)net for my steps;
My soul is (M)bowed down;
They (N)dug a pit before me;
They themselves have (O)fallen into the midst of it. Selah
7 (P)My (Q)heart is steadfast, God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!
8 Awake, (R)my glory!
Awake, (S)harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
9 (T)I will praise You, Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the [f]nations.
10 For Your (U)goodness is great to the heavens
And Your [g]truth to the clouds.
11 (V)Be exalted above the heavens, God;
May Your glory be above all the earth.
Prayer for the Punishment of the Wicked.
For the music director; set to [h]Al-tashheth. A [i]Mikhtam of David.
58 Do you indeed [j]speak righteousness, you [k]gods?
Do you (W)judge [l]fairly, you sons of mankind?
2 No, in heart you (X)practice injustice;
On earth you (Y)clear a way for the violence of your hands.
3 The wicked have turned away (Z)from the womb;
These who speak lies (AA)go astray from [m]birth.
4 They have venom like the (AB)venom of a serpent;
Like a deaf cobra that stops up its ear,
5 So that it (AC)does not hear the voice of [n](AD)charmers,
Or a skillful caster of spells.
6 God, (AE)shatter their teeth in their mouth;
Break out the fangs of the young lions, Lord.
7 May they (AF)flow away like water that runs off;
When he [o](AG)aims his arrows, may they be as [p]headless shafts.
8 May they be like a snail which goes along in slime,
Like the (AH)miscarriage of a woman that never sees the sun.
9 Before your (AI)pots can feel the fire of thorns
He will (AJ)sweep them away with a whirlwind, the [q]green and the burning alike.
10 The (AK)righteous will rejoice when he (AL)sees vengeance;
He will (AM)wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 And people will say, “There certainly is [r](AN)a reward for the righteous;
There certainly is a God who (AO)judges on the earth!”
Prayer for Rescue from Enemies.
For the music director; set to [s]Al-tashheth. A [t]Mikhtam of David, [u]when Saul sent men and they watched the house in order to kill him.
59 (AP)Rescue me from my enemies, my God;
[v](AQ)Set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me.
2 Rescue me from (AR)those who practice injustice,
And save me from (AS)men of bloodshed.
3 For behold, they (AT)have [w]set an ambush for my [x]life;
[y]Fierce men (AU)attack me,
(AV)Not for my wrongdoing nor for my sin, Lord,
4 [z](AW)For no guilt of mine, they run and take their stand against me.
(AX)Stir Yourself to [aa]help me, and see!
5 You, (AY)Lord God of armies, the God of Israel,
Awake to [ab](AZ)punish all the nations;
(BA)Do not be gracious to any who deal treacherously in wrongdoing. Selah
6 They (BB)return at evening, they howl like a (BC)dog,
And prowl around the city.
7 Behold, they (BD)gush forth with their mouths;
(BE)Swords are in their lips,
For, they say, “(BF)Who hears?”
8 But You, Lord, (BG)laugh at them;
You (BH)scoff at all the nations.
9 Because of [ac]his (BI)strength I will watch for You,
For God is my (BJ)refuge.
10 [ad]My God (BK)in His faithfulness will meet me;
God will let me (BL)look triumphantly upon my enemies.
11 Do not kill them, (BM)or my people will forget;
[ae](BN)Scatter them by Your power and bring them down,
Lord, (BO)our shield.
12 [af]On account of the (BP)sin of their mouths and the words of their lips,
May they even be (BQ)caught in their pride,
And on account of (BR)curses and lies which they tell.
13 [ag](BS)Destroy them in wrath, [ah]destroy them so that they will no longer exist;
So that people may (BT)know that God [ai]rules in Jacob,
To the ends of the earth. Selah
14 They (BU)return at evening, they howl like a dog,
And prowl around the city.
15 They (BV)wander about [aj]for food
And [ak]murmur if they are not satisfied.
16 But as for me, I will (BW)sing of Your strength;
Yes, I will (BX)joyfully sing of Your faithfulness in the (BY)morning,
For You have been my (BZ)refuge
And a (CA)place of refuge on the day of my distress.
17 (CB)My strength, I will sing praises to You;
For God is my (CC)refuge, the [al]God who shows me favor.
Grieving over Defeat in Battle, and Prayer for Help.
For the music director; according to [am]Shushan Eduth. A [an]Mikhtam of David, to teach; [ao]when he fought with Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned, and killed twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.
60 God, (CD)You have rejected us. You have [ap](CE)broken us;
You have been (CF)angry; (CG)restore us!
2 You have made the [aq](CH)land quake, You have split it open;
(CI)Heal its cracks, for it sways.
3 You have [ar](CJ)made Your people experience hardship;
You have given us [as]wine to (CK)drink that makes us stagger.
4 You have given a (CL)banner to those who fear You,
That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah
5 (CM)That Your (CN)beloved may be rescued,
(CO)Save us with Your right hand, and answer [at]us!
6 God has spoken in His [au](CP)holiness:
“I will triumph, I will divide up (CQ)Shechem, and measure out the Valley of (CR)Succoth.
7 (CS)Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
(CT)Ephraim also is the [av]helmet of My head;
Judah is My (CU)scepter.
8 (CV)Moab is My washbowl;
I will throw My sandal over (CW)Edom;
Shout loud, (CX)Philistia, because of Me!”
9 Who will bring me into the besieged city?
Who [aw]will lead me to Edom?
10 Have You Yourself not (CY)rejected us, God?
And (CZ)will You not go out with our armies, God?
11 Oh give us help against the enemy,
For (DA)rescue [ax]by man is worthless.
12 [ay]Through God we will (DB)do valiantly,
And it is He who will (DC)trample down our enemies.
Confidence in God’s Protection.
For the music director; on a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.
61 (DD)Hear my cry, God;
(DE)Give Your attention to my prayer.
2 From the (DF)end of the earth I call to You when my heart is (DG)faint;
Lead me to (DH)the rock that is higher than I.
3 For You have been a (DI)refuge for me,
A (DJ)tower of strength against the enemy.
4 Let me [az](DK)dwell in Your tent forever;
Let me (DL)take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah
5 For You have heard my (DM)vows, God;
You have given me the inheritance of those who (DN)fear Your name.
6 You will [ba](DO)prolong the king’s [bb]life;
His years will be like generations.
7 He will [bc]sit enthroned (DP)before God forever;
Appoint (DQ)faithfulness and truth that they may watch over him.
8 So I will (DR)sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may (DS)pay my vows day by day.
Footnotes
- Psalm 57 Title Lit Do Not Destroy
- Psalm 57 Title Possibly, Epigrammatic Poem; or Atonement Psalm
- Psalm 57 Title 1 Sam 22:1; 24:3
- Psalm 57:3 Or snaps at
- Psalm 57:3 Or faithfulness
- Psalm 57:9 Lit peoples
- Psalm 57:10 Or faithfulness
- Psalm 58 Title Lit Do Not Destroy
- Psalm 58 Title Possibly Epigrammatic Poem or Atonement Psalm
- Psalm 58:1 Another reading is speak righteousness in silence
- Psalm 58:1 Or mighty ones; or judges
- Psalm 58:1 Or mankind fairly?
- Psalm 58:3 Lit the womb
- Psalm 58:5 Or whisperers
- Psalm 58:7 Lit bends
- Psalm 58:7 Lit though they were cut off
- Psalm 58:9 Lit living
- Psalm 58:11 Lit fruit
- Psalm 59 Title Lit Do Not Destroy
- Psalm 59 Title Possibly Epigrammatic Poem or Atonement Psalm
- Psalm 59 Title 1 Sam 19:11
- Psalm 59:1 Or May You put me in an inaccessibly high place
- Psalm 59:3 Or lain in wait
- Psalm 59:3 Lit soul
- Psalm 59:3 Or Strong
- Psalm 59:4 Lit Without guilt
- Psalm 59:4 Lit meet
- Psalm 59:5 Lit visit
- Psalm 59:9 LXX, some mss and some ancient versions my strength (cf. v 17)
- Psalm 59:10 Many mss and some ancient versions The God of my faithfulness
- Psalm 59:11 Or Make them wander
- Psalm 59:12 Or The sin of their mouth is the word of their lips,
- Psalm 59:13 Lit Bring to an end
- Psalm 59:13 Lit Bring to an end
- Psalm 59:13 Or is Ruler
- Psalm 59:15 Lit to eat
- Psalm 59:15 Another reading is linger all night
- Psalm 59:17 Lit God of my favor
- Psalm 60 Title Lit The lily of testimony
- Psalm 60 Title Possibly, Epigrammatic Poem or Atonement Psalm
- Psalm 60 Title 2 Sam 8:3, 13; 1 Chr 18:3, 12
- Psalm 60:1 Or broken out upon us
- Psalm 60:2 Or earth
- Psalm 60:3 Lit caused Your people to see
- Psalm 60:3 Lit wine of staggering
- Psalm 60:5 Some authorities me
- Psalm 60:6 Or sanctuary
- Psalm 60:7 Lit protection
- Psalm 60:9 Or has led
- Psalm 60:11 Lit of
- Psalm 60:12 Or In; or With
- Psalm 61:4 Or sojourn
- Psalm 61:6 Lit add days to
- Psalm 61:6 Lit days
- Psalm 61:7 Or remain before
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