PSALM 56

Supplication for Deliverance and Grateful Trust in God.

For the choir director; according to †Jonath elem rehokim. A •Mikhtam of David, ^when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man has 1atrampled upon me;

2Fighting all day long he boppresses me.

2 My foes have 1atrampled upon me all day long,

For 2they are many who bfight proudly against me.

3 1When I am aafraid,

2I will bput my trust in You.

4 aIn God, whose word I praise,

In God I have put my trust;

I shall not be afraid.

bWhat can mere 1man do to me?

5 All day long they 1adistort my words;

All their 2bthoughts are against me for evil.

6 They 1aattack, they lurk,

They bwatch my 2steps,

As they have cwaited to take my 3life.

7 Because of wickedness, 1acast them forth,

In anger bput down the peoples, O God!

8 You ahave taken account of my wanderings;

Put my btears in Your bottle.

Are they not in cYour book?

9 Then my enemies will aturn back bin the day when I call;

This I know, 1that cGod is for me.

10 In God, whose word I praise,

In the Lord, whose word I praise,

11 In God I have put my 1trust, I shall not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

12 Your avows are binding upon me, O God;

I will render thank offerings to You.

13 For You have adelivered my soul from death,

1Indeed bmy feet from stumbling,

So that I may cwalk before God

In the dlight of the 2living.

PSALM 57

Prayer for Rescue from Persecutors.

For the choir director; set to †Al-tashheth. A •Mikhtam of David, ^when he fled from Saul in the cave.

1 Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me,

For my soul atakes refuge in You;

And in the bshadow of Your wings I will take refuge

Until destruction cpasses by.

2 I will cry to God Most High,

To God who aaccomplishes all things for me.

3 He will asend from heaven and save me;

He reproaches him who 1btramples upon me.

2Selah.

God will send forth His clovingkindness and His 3truth.

4 My soul is among alions;

I must lie among those who breathe forth fire,

Even the sons of men, whose bteeth are spears and arrows

And their ctongue a sharp sword.

5 aBe exalted above the heavens, O God;

Let Your glory be above all the earth.

6 They have 1prepared a anet for my steps;

My soul is bbowed down;

They cdug a pit before me;

They themselves have dfallen into the midst of it.

Selah.

7 aMy bheart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!

8 Awake, amy glory!

Awake, bharp and lyre!

I will awaken the dawn.

9 aI will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to You among the 1nations.

10 For Your alovingkindness is great to the heavens

And Your 1truth to the clouds.

11 aBe exalted above the heavens, O God;

Let Your glory be above all the earth.

PSALM 58

Prayer for the Punishment of the Wicked.

For the choir director; set to †Al-tashheth. A •Mikhtam of David.

1 Do you indeed 1speak righteousness, O 2gods?

Do you ajudge 3uprightly, O sons of men?

2 No, in heart you awork unrighteousness;

On earth you bweigh out the violence of your hands.

3 The wicked are estranged afrom the womb;

These who speak lies bgo astray from 1birth.

4 They have venom like the avenom of a serpent;

Like a deaf cobra that stops up its ear,

5 So that it adoes not hear the voice of 1bcharmers,

Or a skillful caster of spells.

6 O God, ashatter their teeth in their mouth;

Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord.

7 Let them aflow away like water that runs off;

When he 1baims his arrows, let them be as 2headless shafts.

8 Let them be as a snail which 1melts away as it goes along,

Like the amiscarriages of a woman which never see the sun.

9 Before your apots can feel the fire of thorns

He will bsweep them away with a whirlwind, the 1green and the burning alike.

10 The arighteous will rejoice when he bsees the vengeance;

He will cwash his feet in the blood of the wicked.

11 And men will say, “Surely there is a 1areward for the righteous;

Surely there is a God who bjudges 2on earth!”