Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options
Close ERV

Psalm 57-61
Easy-to-Read Version

To the director: To the tune “Don’t Destroy.” A miktam of David written when he escaped from Saul and went into the cave.

57 God, be merciful to me.
    Be kind because my soul trusts in you.
I have come to you for protection,
    while the trouble passes.
2 I pray to God Most High for help,
    and he takes care of me completely!
3 From heaven he helps me and saves me.
    He will punish the one who attacks me. Selah
God will remain loyal to me
    and send his love to protect me.

4 My life is in danger.
    My enemies are all around me.
They are like man-eating lions,
    with teeth like spears or arrows
    and tongues like sharp swords.

5 God, rise above the heavens!
    Let all the world see your glory.
6 My enemies set a trap for my feet
    to bring me down.
They dug a deep pit to catch me,
    but they fell into it. Selah

7 God, I am ready, heart and soul,
    to sing songs of praise.
8 Wake up, my soul!
    Harps and lyres, wake up,
    and let’s wake the dawn!
9 My Lord, I will praise you before all people.
    I will sing praises about you to every nation.
10 Your faithful love is higher
    than the highest clouds in the sky!
11 Rise above the heavens, God.
    Let all the world see your glory.

To the director: To the tune “Don’t Destroy.” A miktam of David.

58 You judges are not being fair in your decisions.
    You are not judging people fairly.
2 No, you only think of evil things to do.
    You do violent crimes in this country.
3 Those wicked people started doing wrong as soon as they were born.
    They have been liars from birth.
4 Their anger is as deadly as the poison of a snake.[a]
    They shut their ears like a deaf cobra
5 that does not listen to the music of the snake charmers,
    no matter how well they play.

6 God, they are like lions.
    So, Lord, break their teeth.
7 May they disappear like water down a drain.
    May they be crushed like weeds on a path.[b]
8 May they be like snails melting away as they move.
    May they be like a baby born dead, who never saw the light of day.
9 May they be destroyed suddenly,
    like the thorns that are burned to quickly heat a pot.

10 Good people will be happy
    when they see the wicked getting the punishment they deserve.
They will feel like soldiers
    walking through the blood of their enemies![c]
11 Then people will say, “Good people really are rewarded.
    Yes, there is a God judging the world!”[d]

To the director: To the tune “Don’t Destroy.” A miktam of David written when Saul sent people to watch David’s house to try to kill him.

59 God, save me from my enemies.
    Protect me from those who stand against me.
2 Save me from those who do wrong.
    Save me from those murderers.
3 Look, powerful men are waiting for me.
    Lord, they are waiting to kill me,
    even though I did not sin or commit a crime.
4 I have done nothing wrong, but they are rushing to attack me.
    Come and see for yourself!
5 You are the Lord God All-Powerful, the God of Israel!
    Get up and punish them.
    Don’t show any mercy to those traitors. Selah

6 Those evil men are like dogs
    that come into town in the evening,
    growling and roaming the streets.
7 Listen to their threats and insults.
    They say such cruel things,
    and they don’t care who hears them.

8 Lord, laugh at them.
    Make fun of them all.
9 God, my strength, I look to you for help.[e]
    You are my place of safety, high in the mountains.
10 God loves me, and he will help me win.
    He will help me defeat my enemies.
11 Don’t just kill them, or my people might forget.
    My Lord and Protector, scatter and defeat them with your strength.
12 Those evil people curse and tell lies.
    Punish them for what they said.
    Let their pride trap them.
13 Destroy them in your anger.
    Destroy them completely!
Then people all over the world will know
    that God rules over the people of Jacob. Selah

14 Those evil men are like dogs
    that come into town in the evening, growling and roaming the streets.
15 They roam around looking for food,
    but even if they eat their fill, they still growl and complain.
16 But I will sing about your strength.
    I will rejoice in your love every morning.
You have been my place of safety,
    the place I can run to when troubles come.
17 I will sing praises to you, my source of strength.
    You, God, are my place of safety.
    You are the God who loves me!

To the director: To the tune “Lily of the Agreement.” A miktam of David for teaching. Written when David fought Aram Naharaim and Aram Zobah, and Joab came back and defeated 12,000 Edomite soldiers at Salt Valley.

60 God, you were angry with us.
    You rejected us and destroyed our defenses.
    Please make us strong again.
2 You shook the earth and split it open.
    It is falling apart like a broken wall.
    Please put it back together.
3 You have given your people many troubles.
    We are dizzy and fall down like drunks.
4 But you have provided a flag to show your faithful followers
    where to gather to escape the enemy’s attack. Selah

5 Use your great power and give us victory!
    Answer our prayer and save the people you love.

6 God has spoken in his Temple[f]:
    “I will win the war and rejoice in victory!
I will divide this land among my people.
    I will give them Shechem.
    I will give them Succoth Valley.
7 Gilead and Manasseh will be mine.
    Ephraim will be my helmet.
    Judah will be my royal scepter.
8 Moab will be the bowl for washing my feet.
    Edom will be the slave who carries my sandals.
    I will defeat the Philistines and shout in victory!”

9-10 But, God, it seems that you have left us!
    You do not go out with our army.
So who will lead me into the strong, protected city?
    Who will lead me into battle against Edom?
11 Help us defeat the enemy!
    No one on earth can rescue us.
12 Only God can make us strong.
    Only God can defeat our enemies!

To the director: With stringed instruments. A song of David.

61 God, hear my cry for help.
    Listen to my prayer.
2 From a faraway land I call to you for help.
    I feel so weak and helpless!
Carry me to a high rock
    where no one can reach me.
3 You are my place of safety,
    a strong tower that protects me from my enemies.
4 I want to live in your tent[g] forever.
    I want to hide where you can protect me. Selah

5 God, you heard what I promised to give you,
    but everything your worshipers have comes from you.
6 Give the king a long life.
    Let him live forever!
7 Let him rule in your presence forever.
    Protect him with your faithful love.
8 Then I will praise your name forever.
    Every day I will do what I promised.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 58:4 anger … snake A wordplay in Hebrew. The word meaning “anger” can also mean “venom” (poison).
  2. Psalm 58:7 Or “May he shoot his arrows, cutting them down as if they were withering grass.”
  3. Psalm 58:10 They … enemies Literally, “They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.”
  4. Psalm 58:11 Yes … world Or “There really are judges in this land doing their job.”
  5. Psalm 59:9 God … help Or “I will sing my songs of praise to you.” See Ps. 59:17.
  6. Psalm 60:6 in his Temple Or “in his holiness.”
  7. Psalm 61:4 tent The place where God lives among his people. Here, it is the Temple in Jerusalem. See “Holy Tent” and “Temple” in the Word List.
Listen to Psalm 57-61
Close NIV

Psalm 57-61
New International Version

Psalm 57[a](A)

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.[b] When he had fled from Saul into the cave.(B)

1 Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,
    for in you I take refuge.(C)
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings(D)
    until the disaster has passed.(E)

2 I cry out to God Most High,
    to God, who vindicates me.(F)
3 He sends from heaven and saves me,(G)
    rebuking those who hotly pursue me—[c](H)
    God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.(I)

4 I am in the midst of lions;(J)
    I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
    whose tongues are sharp swords.(K)

5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
    let your glory be over all the earth.(L)

6 They spread a net for my feet(M)—
    I was bowed down(N) in distress.
They dug a pit(O) in my path—
    but they have fallen into it themselves.(P)

7 My heart, O God, is steadfast,
    my heart is steadfast;(Q)
    I will sing and make music.
8 Awake, my soul!
    Awake, harp and lyre!(R)
    I will awaken the dawn.

9 I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing of you among the peoples.
10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
    your faithfulness reaches to the skies.(S)

11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;(T)
    let your glory be over all the earth.(U)

Psalm 58[d]

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.[e]

1 Do you rulers indeed speak justly?(V)
    Do you judge people with equity?
2 No, in your heart you devise injustice,(W)
    and your hands mete out violence on the earth.(X)

3 Even from birth the wicked go astray;
    from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.
4 Their venom is like the venom of a snake,(Y)
    like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,
5 that will not heed(Z) the tune of the charmer,(AA)
    however skillful the enchanter may be.

6 Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;(AB)
    Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions!(AC)
7 Let them vanish like water that flows away;(AD)
    when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.(AE)
8 May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,(AF)
    like a stillborn child(AG) that never sees the sun.

9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns(AH)—
    whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away.[f](AI)
10 The righteous will be glad(AJ) when they are avenged,(AK)
    when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.(AL)
11 Then people will say,
    “Surely the righteous still are rewarded;(AM)
    surely there is a God who judges the earth.”(AN)

Psalm 59[g]

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.[h] When Saul had sent men to watch David’s house(AO) in order to kill him.

1 Deliver me from my enemies, O God;(AP)
    be my fortress against those who are attacking me.(AQ)
2 Deliver me from evildoers(AR)
    and save me from those who are after my blood.(AS)

3 See how they lie in wait for me!
    Fierce men conspire(AT) against me
    for no offense or sin of mine, Lord.
4 I have done no wrong,(AU) yet they are ready to attack me.(AV)
    Arise to help me; look on my plight!(AW)
5 You, Lord God Almighty,
    you who are the God of Israel,(AX)
rouse yourself(AY) to punish all the nations;(AZ)
    show no mercy to wicked traitors.[i](BA)

6 They return at evening,
    snarling like dogs,(BB)
    and prowl about the city.
7 See what they spew from their mouths(BC)—
    the words from their lips are sharp as swords,(BD)
    and they think, “Who can hear us?”(BE)
8 But you laugh at them, Lord;(BF)
    you scoff at all those nations.(BG)

9 You are my strength,(BH) I watch for you;
    you, God, are my fortress,(BI)
10     my God on whom I can rely.

God will go before me
    and will let me gloat over those who slander me.
11 But do not kill them, Lord our shield,[j](BJ)
    or my people will forget.(BK)
In your might uproot them
    and bring them down.(BL)
12 For the sins of their mouths,(BM)
    for the words of their lips,(BN)
    let them be caught in their pride.(BO)
For the curses and lies they utter,
13     consume them in your wrath,
    consume them till they are no more.(BP)
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
    that God rules over Jacob.(BQ)

14 They return at evening,
    snarling like dogs,
    and prowl about the city.
15 They wander about for food(BR)
    and howl if not satisfied.
16 But I will sing(BS) of your strength,(BT)
    in the morning(BU) I will sing of your love;(BV)
for you are my fortress,(BW)
    my refuge in times of trouble.(BX)

17 You are my strength, I sing praise to you;
    you, God, are my fortress,
    my God on whom I can rely.(BY)

Psalm 60[k](BZ)

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.” A miktam[l] of David. For teaching. When he fought Aram Naharaim[m] and Aram Zobah,[n] and when Joab returned and struck down twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.(CA)

1 You have rejected us,(CB) God, and burst upon us;
    you have been angry(CC)—now restore us!(CD)
2 You have shaken the land(CE) and torn it open;
    mend its fractures,(CF) for it is quaking.
3 You have shown your people desperate times;(CG)
    you have given us wine that makes us stagger.(CH)
4 But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner(CI)
    to be unfurled against the bow.[o]

5 Save us and help us with your right hand,(CJ)
    that those you love(CK) may be delivered.
6 God has spoken from his sanctuary:
    “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem(CL)
    and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.(CM)
7 Gilead(CN) is mine, and Manasseh is mine;
    Ephraim(CO) is my helmet,
    Judah(CP) is my scepter.(CQ)
8 Moab is my washbasin,
    on Edom I toss my sandal;
    over Philistia I shout in triumph.(CR)”

9 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
    Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Is it not you, God, you who have now rejected us
    and no longer go out with our armies?(CS)
11 Give us aid against the enemy,
    for human help is worthless.(CT)
12 With God we will gain the victory,
    and he will trample down our enemies.(CU)

Psalm 61[p]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Of David.

1 Hear my cry, O God;(CV)
    listen to my prayer.(CW)

2 From the ends of the earth I call to you,
    I call as my heart grows faint;(CX)
    lead me to the rock(CY) that is higher than I.
3 For you have been my refuge,(CZ)
    a strong tower against the foe.(DA)

4 I long to dwell(DB) in your tent forever
    and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.[q](DC)
5 For you, God, have heard my vows;(DD)
    you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.(DE)

6 Increase the days of the king’s life,(DF)
    his years for many generations.(DG)
7 May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever;(DH)
    appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.(DI)

8 Then I will ever sing in praise of your name(DJ)
    and fulfill my vows day after day.(DK)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 57:1 In Hebrew texts 57:1-11 is numbered 57:2-12.
  2. Psalm 57:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  3. Psalm 57:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 6.
  4. Psalm 58:1 In Hebrew texts 58:1-11 is numbered 58:2-12.
  5. Psalm 58:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  6. Psalm 58:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
  7. Psalm 59:1 In Hebrew texts 59:1-17 is numbered 59:2-18.
  8. Psalm 59:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  9. Psalm 59:5 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 13.
  10. Psalm 59:11 Or sovereign
  11. Psalm 60:1 In Hebrew texts 60:1-12 is numbered 60:3-14.
  12. Psalm 60:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  13. Psalm 60:1 Title: That is, Arameans of Northwest Mesopotamia
  14. Psalm 60:1 Title: That is, Arameans of central Syria
  15. Psalm 60:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
  16. Psalm 61:1 In Hebrew texts 61:1-8 is numbered 61:2-9.
  17. Psalm 61:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
Next
Psalm 56
Psalm 62
Next
dropdown
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.

July Summer Surge

More on the NIV