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Prayer for the punishment of the wicked.

For the Chief Musician; set to Al-tashheth. A Psalm of David. Michtam.

[a]58 Do ye indeed [b]in silence speak righteousness?
Do ye [c]judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?
Nay, in heart ye work wickedness;
Ye weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.
The wicked are estranged from the womb:
They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent:
They are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear,
Which hearkeneth not to the voice of [d]charmers,
Charming never so wisely.
Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth:
Break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Jehovah.
Let them melt away as water that runneth apace:
When he aimeth his arrows, let them be as though they were cut off.
Let them be as a snail which melteth and passeth away,
Like the untimely birth of a woman, [e]that hath not seen the sun.
Before your pots can feel the thorns,
[f]He will take them away with a whirlwind, the green and the burning alike.
10 The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance:
He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked;
11 So that men shall say, Verily there is [g]a reward for the righteous:
Verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth.

Prayer for deliverance from enemies.

For the Chief Musician; set to Al-tashheth. A Psalm of David. Michtam; when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him.

59 Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God:
Set me on high from them that rise up against me.
Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,
And save me from the bloodthirsty men.
For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul;
The mighty gather themselves together against me:
Not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O Jehovah.
They run and prepare themselves without my fault:
Awake thou to [h]help me, and behold.
Even thou, O Jehovah God of hosts, the God of Israel,
Arise to visit all the nations:
Be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah
They return at evening, they howl like a dog,
And go round about the city.
Behold, they belch out with their mouth;
Swords are in their lips:
For who, say they, doth hear?
But thou, O Jehovah, wilt laugh at them;
Thou wilt have all the nations in derision.
[i]Because of his strength I will give heed unto thee;
For God is my high tower.
10 My God with his lovingkindness will meet me:
God will let me see my desire upon [j]mine enemies.
11 Slay them not, lest my people forget:
[k]Scatter them by thy power, and bring them down,
O Lord our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouth, and the words of their lips,
Let them even be taken in their pride,
And for cursing and lying which they speak.
13 Consume them in wrath, consume them, so that they shall be no more:
And let them know that God ruleth in Jacob,
Unto the ends of the earth. Selah
14 And at evening let them return, let them howl like a dog,
And go round about the city.
15 They shall wander up and down for food,
And tarry all night if they be not satisfied.
16 But I will sing of thy strength;
Yea, I will sing aloud of thy lovingkindness in the morning:
For thou hast been my high tower,
And a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing praises:
For God is my high tower, the God of my mercy.

Lament over defeat in battle, and prayer for help.

For the Chief Musician; set to [l]Shushan Eduth. Michtam of David, to teach; when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and Joab returned, and smote of Edom in the Valley of Salt twelve thousand.

60 O God thou hast cast us off, thou hast broken us down;
Thou hast been angry; oh restore us again.
Thou hast made the land to tremble; thou hast rent it:
Heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh.
Thou hast showed thy people hard things:
Thou hast made us to drink the wine of staggering.
Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee,
That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah

That thy beloved may be delivered,
Save with thy right hand, and answer [m]us.
God hath spoken in his holiness: I will exult;
I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.
Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim also is the defence of my head;
Judah is my [n]sceptre.
Moab is my washpot;
[o]Upon Edom will I cast my shoe:
Philistia, shout thou because of me.
Who will bring me into the strong city?
[p]Who hath led me unto Edom?
10 [q]Hast not thou, O God, cast us off?
And thou goest not forth, O God, with our hosts.
11 Give us help against the adversary;
For vain is the [r]help of man.
12 Through God we shall do valiantly;
For he it is that will tread down our adversaries.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 58:1 Or, Is the righteousness ye should speak dumb?
  2. Psalm 58:1 Or, as otherwise read, O ye gods. Or, O ye mighty ones
  3. Psalm 58:1 Or, judge uprightly the sons of men
  4. Psalm 58:5 Or, enchanters
  5. Psalm 58:8 Or, like them that have not seen the sun
  6. Psalm 58:9 Or, Wrath shall take them away while living as with a whirlwind
  7. Psalm 58:11 Hebrew fruit.
  8. Psalm 59:4 Hebrew meet.
  9. Psalm 59:9 According to Septuagint and Vulgate, My strength.
  10. Psalm 59:10 Or, them that lie in wait for me
  11. Psalm 59:11 Or, Make them wander to and fro
  12. Psalm 60:1 That is, The lily of testimony.
  13. Psalm 60:5 Another reading is, me.
  14. Psalm 60:7 Or, lawgiver
  15. Psalm 60:8 Or, Unto
  16. Psalm 60:9 Or, Who will lead me etc.
  17. Psalm 60:10 Or, Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off, And goest . . . hosts?
  18. Psalm 60:11 Hebrew salvation.