Psalm 48-66

New American Standard Bible

The Beauty and Glory of Zion.

A Song; a Psalm of the sons of Korah.

48 ^(A)Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised
In the ^(B)city of our God, His ^(C)holy mountain.
²^(D)Beautiful in elevation, ^(E)the joy of the whole earth,
Is Mount Zion in the far north,
The ^(F)city of the great King.
³In its palaces,
God has made Himself known as a ^(G)stronghold.

⁴For, behold, the ^(H)kings arrived,
They passed by together.
⁵They saw it, then they were amazed;
They were ^(I)terrified, they fled in a hurry.
⁶^[a]Panic seized them there,
Anguish, as that of ^(J)a woman in childbirth.
⁷With the ^(K)east wind
You ^(L)smash the ^(M)ships of Tarshish.
⁸Just as we have heard, so have we seen
In the city of the Lord of armies, in the city of our God;
God will ^(N)establish her forever. Selah

⁹We have thought over ^(O)Your goodness, God,
In the midst of Your temple.
¹⁰As is Your ^(P)name, God,
So is Your ^(Q)praise to the ends of the earth;
Your ^(R)right hand is full of righteousness.
¹¹Mount ^(S)Zion shall be glad,
The ^(T)daughters of Judah shall rejoice
Because of Your judgments.
¹²Walk around Zion and encircle her;
Count her ^(U)towers;
¹³Consider her ^(V)ramparts;
Go through her palaces,
So that you may ^(W)tell of her to the next generation.
¹⁴For ^[b]such is God,
Our God forever and ever;
He will ^(X)lead us ^[c]until death.

The Foolishness of Trusting in Riches.

For the music director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

49 ^(Y)Hear this, all peoples;
Listen, all ^(Z)inhabitants of the world,
²Both ^(AA)low and high,
Rich and poor together.
³My mouth will ^(AB)speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart will be ^(AC)understanding.
⁴I will incline my ear to ^(AD)a proverb;
^(AE)I will ^[d]express my ^(AF)riddle on the harp.

⁵Why should I ^(AG)fear in days of adversity,
When the injustice of those who betray me surrounds me,
⁶Those who ^(AH)trust in their wealth
And boast in the abundance of their riches?
⁷No one can by any means ^(AI)redeem another
Or give God a ^(AJ)ransom for him—
⁸For ^(AK)the redemption of ^[e]his soul is priceless,
And he should cease imagining forever—
⁹That he might ^(AL)live on eternally,
That he might not ^[f]^(AM)undergo decay.

¹⁰For he sees that even ^(AN)wise people die;
The ^(AO)foolish and the stupid alike perish
And ^(AP)leave their wealth to others.
¹¹Their ^[g]^(AQ)inner thought is that their houses ^(AR)are forever
And their dwelling places to all generations;
They have ^(AS)named their lands after their own names.
¹²But ^(AT)man in his splendor will not endure;
He is like the animals that ^[h]perish.

¹³This is the ^(AU)way of those who are foolish,
And of those after them who ^(AV)approve their words. Selah
¹⁴Like sheep they sink down ^(AW)to ^[i]Sheol;
Death will be their shepherd;
And the ^(AX)upright will rule over them in the morning,
And their form shall be for ^[j]Sheol ^(AY)to consume
^[k]So that they have no lofty home.
¹⁵But God will ^(AZ)redeem my soul from the ^[l]power of ^[m]Sheol,
For ^(BA)He will receive me. Selah

¹⁶Do not be afraid ^(BB)when a person becomes rich,
When the splendor of his house is increased;
¹⁷For when he dies, he will ^(BC)take nothing with him;
His ^[n]wealth will not descend after him.
¹⁸Though while he lives he ^(BD)congratulates ^[o]himself—
And though people praise you when you do well for yourself—
¹⁹^[p]He will ^(BE)go to the generation of his fathers;
They will never see ^(BF)the light.
²⁰^(BG)Mankind in its splendor, yet without understanding,
Is ^(BH)like the animals that ^[q]perish.

God, the Judge of the Righteous and the Wicked.

A Psalm of ^[r]Asaph.

50 ^(BI)The Mighty One, God, the Lord, has spoken
And summoned the earth, ^(BJ)from ^[s]the rising of the sun to its setting.
²Out of Zion, ^(BK)the perfection of beauty,
God ^(BL)has shone.
³May our God ^(BM)come and not keep silent;
^(BN)Fire devours before Him,
And a storm is violently ^(BO)raging around Him.
⁴He ^(BP)summons the heavens above,
And the earth, to judge His people:
⁵“Gather My ^(BQ)godly ones to Me,
Those who have made a ^(BR)covenant with Me by ^(BS)sacrifice.”
⁶And the ^(BT)heavens declare His righteousness,
For ^(BU)God Himself is judge. Selah

⁷“^(BV)Hear, My people, and I will speak;
Israel, I will testify ^[t]against you;
I am God, ^(BW)your God.
⁸I do ^(BX)not rebuke you for your sacrifices,
And your burnt offerings are continually before Me.
⁹I will not take a ^(BY)bull from your house,
Nor male goats from your folds.
¹⁰For ^(BZ)every animal of the forest is Mine,
The cattle on a thousand hills.
¹¹I know every ^(CA)bird of the mountains,
And everything that moves in the field is ^[u]Mine.
¹²If I were hungry I would not tell you,
For the ^(CB)world is Mine, and ^[v]everything it contains.
¹³Shall I eat the flesh of ^[w]^(CC)bulls
Or drink the blood of male goats?
¹⁴Offer God ^(CD)a sacrifice of thanksgiving
And ^(CE)pay your vows to the Most High;
¹⁵^(CF)Call upon Me on the day of trouble;
I will ^(CG)rescue you, and you will ^(CH)honor Me.”

¹⁶But to the wicked God says,
“What right do you have to tell of My statutes
And to take ^(CI)My covenant in your mouth?
¹⁷For you yourself ^(CJ)hate discipline,
And you ^(CK)throw My words behind you.
¹⁸When you see a thief, you ^(CL)become friends with him,
And ^[x]you ^(CM)associate with adulterers.
¹⁹You ^[y]^(CN)let your mouth loose in evil,
And your ^(CO)tongue harnesses deceit.
²⁰You sit and ^(CP)speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother’s son.
²¹These things you have done and ^(CQ)I kept silent;
You thought that I was just like you;
I will ^(CR)rebuke you and present the case before your eyes.

²²“Now consider this, you who ^(CS)forget God,
Or I will ^(CT)tear you in pieces, and there will be no one to save you.
²³He who ^(CU)offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me;
And to him who ^(CV)sets his way properly
I will ^(CW)show the salvation of God.”

A Contrite Sinner’s Prayer for Pardon.

For the music director. A Psalm of David, when ^[z]Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

51 ^(CX)Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithfulness;
According to the greatness of ^(CY)Your compassion, ^(CZ)wipe out my wrongdoings.
²^(DA)Wash me thoroughly from my guilt
And ^(DB)cleanse me from my sin.
³For I ^(DC)know my wrongdoings,
And my sin is constantly before me.
⁴^(DD)Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is ^(DE)evil in Your sight,
So that ^(DF)You ^[aa]are justified ^[ab]when You speak
And ^[ac]blameless when You judge.

⁵Behold, I was ^(DG)brought forth in guilt,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
⁶Behold, You desire ^(DH)truth in the ^[ad]innermost being,
And in secret You will ^(DI)make wisdom known to me.
⁷^[ae]Purify me ^(DJ)with hyssop, and I will be clean;
^[af]Cleanse me, and I will be ^(DK)whiter than snow.
⁸^[ag]Let me hear ^(DL)joy and gladness,
Let the ^(DM)bones You have broken rejoice.
⁹^(DN)Hide Your face from my sins
And wipe out all my guilty deeds.

¹⁰^(DO)Create ^[ah]in me a ^(DP)clean heart, God,
And renew a ^(DQ)steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹^(DR)Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your ^(DS)Holy Spirit from me.
¹²Restore to me the ^(DT)joy of Your salvation,
And sustain me with a ^(DU)willing spirit.
¹³Then I will ^(DV)teach wrongdoers Your ways,
And sinners will ^[ai]be ^(DW)converted to You.

¹⁴Save me from ^(DX)the guilt of bloodshed, God, ^(DY)the God of my salvation;
Then my ^(DZ)tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.
¹⁵Lord, ^[aj]^(EA)open my lips,
So that my mouth may ^(EB)declare Your praise.
¹⁶For You ^(EC)do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;
You do not take pleasure in burnt offering.
¹⁷The sacrifices of God are a ^(ED)broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart, God, You will not despise.

¹⁸^(EE)By Your favor do good to Zion;
^[ak]^(EF)Build the walls of Jerusalem.
¹⁹Then You will delight in ^[al]^(EG)righteous sacrifices,
In ^(EH)burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then ^[am]bulls will be offered on Your altar.

Futility of Boastful Wickedness.

For the music director. A ^[an]Maskil of David, ^[ao]when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

52 Why do you ^(EI)boast in evil, you mighty man?
The ^(EJ)faithfulness of God endures all day long.
²Your tongue devises ^(EK)destruction,
Like a ^(EL)sharp razor, ^(EM)you worker of deceit.
³You ^(EN)love evil more than good,
^(EO)Lies more than speaking what is right. Selah
⁴You love all words that devour,
You ^(EP)deceitful tongue.

⁵^[ap]But God will break you down forever;
He will snatch you up and ^(EQ)tear you away from your tent,
And ^(ER)uproot you from the ^(ES)land of the living. Selah
⁶The righteous will ^(ET)see and fear,
And they will ^(EU)laugh at him, saying,
⁷“Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge,
But ^(EV)trusted in the abundance of his riches
And ^(EW)was strong in ^[aq]his evil desire.”

⁸But as for me, I am like a ^(EX)green olive tree in the house of God;
I ^(EY)trust in the faithfulness of God forever and ever.
⁹I will ^(EZ)praise You forever, because You have done it,
And I will wait on Your name, ^(FA)for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones.

Foolishness and Wickedness of People.

For the music director; according to ^[ar]Mahalath. A ^[as]Maskil of David.

53 ^(FB)The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice;
^(FC)There is no one who does good.
²God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of mankind
To see if there is ^(FD)anyone who ^[at]understands,
Who ^(FE)seeks after God.
³^(FF)Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
There is no one who does good, not even one.

⁴Have the workers of injustice ^(FG)no knowledge,
Who eat up My people like they ate bread,
And have not called upon God?
⁵They were in great ^[au]fear there, ^(FH)where no ^[av]fear had been;
For God ^(FI)scattered the bones of ^[aw]him who encamped against you;
You ^(FJ)put them to shame, because ^(FK)God had rejected them.
⁶Oh, that ^(FL)the salvation of Israel would come from Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of His people,
Jacob shall rejoice, Israel shall be glad.

Prayer for Defense against Enemies.

For the music director; on stringed instruments. A ^[ax]Maskil of David, ^[ay]when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “Is David not keeping himself hidden among us?”

54 Save me, God, by ^(FM)Your name,
And ^[az]vindicate me by ^(FN)Your power.
²^(FO)Hear my prayer, God;
^(FP)Listen to the words of my mouth.
³For strangers have ^(FQ)risen against me
And ^(FR)violent men have ^(FS)sought my ^[ba]life;
They have ^(FT)not set God before them. Selah

⁴Behold, ^(FU)God is my helper;
The Lord is ^[bb]the ^(FV)sustainer of my soul.
⁵^[bc]He will ^(FW)pay back the evil to my enemies;
^[bd]^(FX)Destroy them ^(FY)in Your ^[be]faithfulness.

⁶^[bf]^(FZ)Willingly I will sacrifice to You;
I will ^(GA)praise Your name, Lord, for it is good.
⁷For ^[bg]He has ^(GB)saved me from all ^[bh]trouble,
And my eye has ^(GC)looked with satisfaction upon my enemies.

Prayer for the Destruction of the Treacherous.

For the music director; on stringed instruments. A ^[bi]Maskil of David.

55 ^(GD)Listen to my prayer, God;
And ^(GE)do not hide Yourself from my pleading.
²Give Your ^(GF)attention to me and answer me;
I am restless in my ^(GG)complaint and ^[bj]^(GH)severely distracted,
³Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the ^(GI)pressure of the wicked;
For they ^(GJ)bring down ^[bk]trouble upon me
And in anger they ^(GK)hold a grudge against me.

⁴My ^(GL)heart is in anguish within me,
And the terrors of ^(GM)death have fallen upon me.
⁵Fear and ^(GN)trembling come upon me,
And ^[bl]^(GO)horror has ^[bm]overwhelmed me.
⁶I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and ^[bn]^(GP)be at rest.
⁷Behold, I would flee far away,
I would ^(GQ)spend my nights in the wilderness. Selah
⁸I would hurry to my place of refuge
From the ^(GR)stormy wind and heavy gale.”

⁹Confuse them, Lord, ^(GS)divide their tongues,
For I have seen ^(GT)violence and strife in the city.
¹⁰Day and night they go around her upon her walls,
And evil and harm are in her midst.
¹¹^(GU)Destruction is in her midst;
^(GV)Oppression and deceit do not depart from her ^[bo]streets.

¹²For it is ^(GW)not an enemy who taunts me,
Then I could endure it;
Nor is it one who hates me who ^(GX)has exalted himself against me,
Then I could hide myself from him.
¹³But it is you, a man ^[bp]my equal,
My ^(GY)companion and my ^(GZ)confidant;
¹⁴We who had sweet ^[bq]fellowship together,
^(HA)Walked in the house of God among the commotion.
¹⁵May ^[br]death come ^(HB)deceitfully upon them;
May they ^(HC)go down alive to ^[bs]Sheol,
For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.

¹⁶As for me, I shall ^(HD)call upon God,
And the Lord will save me.
¹⁷^(HE)Evening and ^(HF)morning and at ^(HG)noon, I will complain and moan,
And He will hear my voice.
¹⁸He will ^(HH)redeem my soul in peace ^[bt]from the battle which is against me,
For they are ^(HI)many who are aggressive toward me.
¹⁹God will ^(HJ)hear and humiliate them—
Even the one ^(HK)who ^[bu]sits enthroned from ancient times— Selah
With whom there ^[bv]is no change,
And who ^(HL)do not fear God.
²⁰He has put forth his hands against ^(HM)those who were at peace with him;
He has ^[bw]^(HN)violated his covenant.
²¹His ^[bx]speech was ^(HO)smoother than butter,
But his heart was war;
His words were ^(HP)softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn ^(HQ)swords.

²²^(HR)Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;
^(HS)He will never allow the righteous to ^[by]^(HT)be shaken.
²³But You, God, will bring them down to the ^(HU)pit of destruction;
^(HV)Men of bloodshed and deceit will ^(HW)not live out half their days.
But I will ^(HX)trust in You.

Pleading for Help and Grateful Trust in God.

For the music director; according to ^[bz]Jonath elem rehokim. A ^[ca]Mikhtam of David, ^[cb]when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

56 Be gracious to me, God, for a man has ^[cc]^(HY)trampled upon me;
^[cd]Fighting all day long he ^(HZ)oppresses me.
²My enemies have ^(IA)trampled upon me all day long,
For ^[ce]they are many who ^(IB)fight proudly against me.
³^[cf]When I am ^(IC)afraid,
^[cg]I will ^(ID)put my trust in You.
⁴^(IE)In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not be afraid.
^(IF)What can mere ^[ch]mortals do to me?
⁵All day long they ^(IG)distort my words;
All their ^[ci]^(IH)thoughts are against me for evil.
⁶They ^[cj]^(II)attack, they lurk,
They ^(IJ)watch my ^[ck]steps,
As they have ^(IK)waited to take my ^[cl]life.
⁷Because of their wickedness, will there be an ^(IL)escape for them?
In anger ^(IM)make the peoples fall down, God!

⁸You ^(IN)have taken account of my ^[cm]miseries;
Put my ^(IO)tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in ^(IP)Your book?
⁹Then my enemies will ^(IQ)turn back ^(IR)on the day when I call;
This I know, ^[cn]that ^(IS)God is for me.
¹⁰In God, whose word I praise,
In the Lord, whose word I praise,
¹¹In God I have put my ^[co]trust, I shall not be afraid.
What can mankind do to me?
¹²Your ^(IT)vows are binding upon me, God;
I will render thanksgiving offerings to You.
¹³For You have ^(IU)saved my soul from death,
^[cp]Indeed ^(IV)my feet from stumbling,
So that I may ^(IW)walk before God
In the ^(IX)light of the ^[cq]living.

Prayer for Rescue from Persecutors.

For the music director; set to ^[cr]Al-tashheth. A ^[cs]Mikhtam of David, ^[ct]when he fled from Saul in the cave.

57 Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me,
For my soul ^(IY)takes refuge in You;
And in the ^(IZ)shadow of Your wings I will take refuge
Until destruction ^(JA)passes by.
²I will cry to God Most High,
To God who ^(JB)accomplishes all things for me.
³He will ^(JC)send from heaven and save me;
He rebukes the one who ^[cu]^(JD)tramples upon me. Selah
God will send His ^[cv]^(JE)favor and His truth.

⁴My soul is among ^(JF)lions;
I must lie among those who devour,
Among sons of mankind whose ^(JG)teeth are spears and arrows,
And their ^(JH)tongue is a sharp sword.
⁵^(JI)Be exalted above the heavens, God;
May Your glory be above all the earth.
⁶They have prepared a ^(JJ)net for my steps;
My soul is ^(JK)bowed down;
They ^(JL)dug a pit before me;
They themselves have ^(JM)fallen into the midst of it. Selah

⁷^(JN)My ^(JO)heart is steadfast, God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!
⁸Awake, ^(JP)my glory!
Awake, ^(JQ)harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
⁹^(JR)I will praise You, Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the ^[cw]nations.
¹⁰For Your ^(JS)goodness is great to the heavens
And Your ^[cx]truth to the clouds.
¹¹^(JT)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 ^[cy]Al-tashheth. A ^[cz]Mikhtam of David.

58 Do you indeed ^[da]speak righteousness, you ^[db]gods?
Do you ^(JU)judge ^[dc]fairly, you sons of mankind?
²No, in heart you ^(JV)practice injustice;
On earth you ^(JW)clear a way for the violence of your hands.
³The wicked have turned away ^(JX)from the womb;
These who speak lies ^(JY)go astray from ^[dd]birth.
⁴They have venom like the ^(JZ)venom of a serpent;
Like a deaf cobra that stops up its ear,
⁵So that it ^(KA)does not hear the voice of ^[de]^(KB)charmers,
Or a skillful caster of spells.

⁶God, ^(KC)shatter their teeth in their mouth;
Break out the fangs of the young lions, Lord.
⁷May they ^(KD)flow away like water that runs off;
When he ^[df]^(KE)aims his arrows, may they be as ^[dg]headless shafts.
⁸May they be like a snail which goes along in slime,
Like the ^(KF)miscarriage of a woman that never sees the sun.
⁹Before your ^(KG)pots can feel the fire of thorns
He will ^(KH)sweep them away with a whirlwind, the ^[dh]green and the burning alike.

¹⁰The ^(KI)righteous will rejoice when he ^(KJ)sees vengeance;
He will ^(KK)wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
¹¹And people will say, “There certainly is ^[di]^(KL)a reward for the righteous;
There certainly is a God who ^(KM)judges on the earth!”

Prayer for Rescue from Enemies.

For the music director; set to ^[dj]Al-tashheth. A ^[dk]Mikhtam of David, ^[dl]when Saul sent men and they watched the house in order to kill him.

59 ^(KN)Rescue me from my enemies, my God;
^[dm]^(KO)Set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me.
²Rescue me from ^(KP)those who practice injustice,
And save me from ^(KQ)men of bloodshed.
³For behold, they ^(KR)have ^[dn]set an ambush for my ^[do]life;
^[dp]Fierce men ^(KS)attack me,
^(KT)Not for my wrongdoing nor for my sin, Lord,
⁴^[dq]^(KU)For no guilt of mine, they run and take their stand against me.
^(KV)Stir Yourself to ^[dr]help me, and see!
⁵You, ^(KW)Lord God of armies, the God of Israel,
Awake to ^[ds]^(KX)punish all the nations;
^(KY)Do not be gracious to any who deal treacherously in wrongdoing. Selah
⁶They ^(KZ)return at evening, they howl like a ^(LA)dog,
And prowl around the city.
⁷Behold, they ^(LB)gush forth with their mouths;
^(LC)Swords are in their lips,
For, they say, “^(LD)Who hears?”
⁸But You, Lord, ^(LE)laugh at them;
You ^(LF)scoff at all the nations.

⁹Because of ^[dt]his ^(LG)strength I will watch for You,
For God is my ^(LH)refuge.
¹⁰^[du]My God ^(LI)in His faithfulness will meet me;
God will let me ^(LJ)look triumphantly upon my enemies.
¹¹Do not kill them, ^(LK)or my people will forget;
^[dv]^(LL)Scatter them by Your power and bring them down,
Lord, ^(LM)our shield.
¹²^[dw]On account of the ^(LN)sin of their mouths and the words of their lips,
May they even be ^(LO)caught in their pride,
And on account of ^(LP)curses and lies which they tell.
¹³^[dx]^(LQ)Destroy them in wrath, ^[dy]destroy them so that they will no longer exist;
So that people may ^(LR)know that God ^[dz]rules in Jacob,
To the ends of the earth. Selah
¹⁴They ^(LS)return at evening, they howl like a dog,
And prowl around the city.
¹⁵They ^(LT)wander about ^[ea]for food
And ^[eb]murmur if they are not satisfied.

¹⁶But as for me, I will ^(LU)sing of Your strength;
Yes, I will ^(LV)joyfully sing of Your faithfulness in the ^(LW)morning,
For You have been my ^(LX)refuge
And a ^(LY)place of refuge on the day of my distress.
¹⁷^(LZ)My strength, I will sing praises to You;
For God is my ^(MA)refuge, the ^[ec]God who shows me favor.

Grieving over Defeat in Battle, and Prayer for Help.

For the music director; according to ^[ed]Shushan Eduth. A ^[ee]Mikhtam of David, to teach; ^[ef]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, ^(MB)You have rejected us. You have ^[eg]^(MC)broken us;
You have been ^(MD)angry; ^(ME)restore us!
²You have made the ^[eh]^(MF)land quake, You have split it open;
^(MG)Heal its cracks, for it sways.
³You have ^[ei]^(MH)made Your people experience hardship;
You have given us ^[ej]wine to ^(MI)drink that makes us stagger.
⁴You have given a ^(MJ)banner to those who fear You,
That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah
⁵^(MK)That Your ^(ML)beloved may be rescued,
^(MM)Save us with Your right hand, and answer ^[ek]us!

⁶God has spoken in His ^[el]^(MN)holiness:
“I will triumph, I will divide up ^(MO)Shechem, and measure out the Valley of ^(MP)Succoth.
⁷^(MQ)Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
^(MR)Ephraim also is the ^[em]helmet of My head;
Judah is My ^(MS)scepter.
⁸^(MT)Moab is My washbowl;
I will throw My sandal over ^(MU)Edom;
Shout loud, ^(MV)Philistia, because of Me!”

⁹Who will bring me into the besieged city?
Who ^[en]will lead me to Edom?
¹⁰Have You Yourself not ^(MW)rejected us, God?
And ^(MX)will You not go out with our armies, God?
¹¹Oh give us help against the enemy,
For ^(MY)rescue ^[eo]by man is worthless.
¹²^[ep]Through God we will ^(MZ)do valiantly,
And it is He who will ^(NA)trample down our enemies.

Confidence in God’s Protection.

For the music director; on a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.

61 ^(NB)Hear my cry, God;
^(NC)Give Your attention to my prayer.
²From the ^(ND)end of the earth I call to You when my heart is ^(NE)faint;
Lead me to ^(NF)the rock that is higher than I.
³For You have been a ^(NG)refuge for me,
A ^(NH)tower of strength against the enemy.
⁴Let me ^[eq]^(NI)dwell in Your tent forever;
Let me ^(NJ)take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah

⁵For You have heard my ^(NK)vows, God;
You have given me the inheritance of those who ^(NL)fear Your name.
⁶You will ^[er]^(NM)prolong the king’s ^[es]life;
His years will be like generations.
⁷He will ^[et]sit enthroned ^(NN)before God forever;
Appoint ^(NO)faithfulness and truth that they may watch over him.
⁸So I will ^(NP)sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may ^(NQ)pay my vows day by day.

God Alone a Refuge from Treachery and Oppression.

For the music director; ^[eu]according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

62 ^(NR)My soul waits in silence for God alone;
From Him ^(NS)comes my salvation.
²He alone is my ^(NT)rock and my salvation,
My ^(NU)stronghold; I will not be greatly shaken.

³How long will you attack a man,
That you may murder him, all of you,
Like a ^(NV)leaning wall, like a tottering fence?
⁴They have planned only to thrust him down from his high position;
They ^(NW)delight in falsehood;
They ^(NX)bless with ^[ev]their mouth,
But inwardly they curse. Selah

⁵My soul, ^(NY)wait in silence for God alone,
For my hope is from Him.
⁶He alone is ^(NZ)my rock and my salvation,
My refuge; I will not be shaken.
⁷My ^(OA)salvation and my glory rest on God;
The rock of my strength, my ^(OB)refuge is in God.
⁸^(OC)Trust in Him at all times, you people;
^(OD)Pour out your hearts before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah

⁹People of ^(OE)low standing are only ^(OF)breath, and people of rank are a ^(OG)lie;
In the ^(OH)balances they go up.
Together they are lighter than breath.
¹⁰^(OI)Do not trust in oppression,
And do not vainly rely on ^(OJ)robbery;
If wealth increases, ^(OK)do not set your heart on it.

¹¹God has ^(OL)spoken ^[ew]once;
^[ex]Twice I have heard this:
That ^(OM)power belongs to God;
¹²And faithfulness ^(ON)is Yours, Lord,
For You ^(OO)reward a person according to his work.

The Thirsting Soul Satisfied in God.

A Psalm of David, ^[ey]when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

63 God, ^(OP)You are my God; I shall be watching for You;
My soul ^(OQ)thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,
In a ^(OR)dry and exhausted land where there is no water.
²So have I ^(OS)seen You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and glory.
³Because Your ^[ez]^(OT)favor is better than life,
My lips will praise You.
⁴So I will bless You ^(OU)as long as I live;
I will ^(OV)lift up my hands in Your name.
⁵My soul is ^(OW)satisfied as with fat and fatness,
And my mouth offers ^(OX)praises with joyful lips.

⁶When I remember You ^(OY)on my bed,
I meditate on You in the ^(OZ)night watches,
⁷For ^(PA)You have been my help,
And in the ^(PB)shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.
⁸My soul ^(PC)clings ^[fa]to You;
Your ^(PD)right hand takes hold of me.

⁹But those who ^(PE)seek my ^[fb]life to destroy it,
Will go into the ^[fc]^(PF)depths of the earth.
¹⁰^[fd]They will be ^[fe]^(PG)turned over to the power of the sword;
They will be a ^[ff]^(PH)prey for foxes.
¹¹But the ^(PI)king will rejoice in God;
Everyone who ^(PJ)swears by Him will boast,
For the ^(PK)mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.

Prayer for Rescue from Secret Enemies.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

64 Hear my voice, God, in ^(PL)my ^[fg]complaint;
^(PM)Protect my life from dread of the enemy.
²Hide me from the ^(PN)secret discussion of evildoers,
From the restlessness of ^(PO)the workers of injustice,
³Who ^(PP)have sharpened their tongues like a sword.
They ^(PQ)aimed bitter speech as their arrows,
⁴To ^(PR)shoot ^[fh]from concealment at the innocent;
Suddenly they shoot at him, and ^(PS)do not fear.
⁵They make firm for themselves an evil ^[fi]purpose;
They ^[fj]talk of ^(PT)setting snares secretly;
They say, “^(PU)Who can see them?”
⁶They ^[fk]devise injustices, saying,
“We are ^[fl]ready with a well-conceived plot”;
For the ^[fm]^(PV)inward thought and the heart of a person are ^[fn]deep.

⁷But ^(PW)God ^[fo]will shoot an arrow at them;
Suddenly ^[fp]they will be wounded.
⁸So ^[fq]they ^[fr]will ^(PX)make him stumble;
^(PY)Their own tongue is against them;
All who see them will ^(PZ)shake their heads.
⁹Then all people ^[fs]will ^(QA)fear,
And they ^[ft]will ^(QB)declare the work of God,
And ^[fu]will consider ^[fv]what He has done.
¹⁰The righteous person will be ^(QC)glad in the Lord and ^(QD)take refuge in Him;
And all the upright in heart will boast.

God’s Abundant Favor to Earth and Mankind.

For the music director. A Psalm of David. A Song.

65 There will be silence ^[fw]before You, and praise in Zion, God,
And the ^(QE)vow will be fulfilled for You.
²You who hear prayer,
To You ^(QF)all ^[fx]mankind comes.
³^[fy]^(QG)Wrongdoings prevail against me;
As for our offenses, You ^[fz]^(QH)forgive them.
⁴^(QI)Blessed is the one You ^(QJ)choose and allow to approach You;
He will dwell in Your courtyards.
We will be ^(QK)satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Your holy temple.

⁵By ^(QL)awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, ^(QM)God of our salvation,
You who are the trust of all the ^(QN)ends of the earth and the farthest ^[ga]^(QO)sea;
⁶Who ^(QP)establishes the mountains by His strength,
Who is ^(QQ)encircled with might;
⁷Who ^(QR)stills the roaring of the seas,
The roaring of their waves,
And the ^(QS)turmoil of the nations.
⁸They who dwell at the ^(QT)ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs;
You make the ^[gb]sunrise and the sunset shout for joy.

⁹You visit the earth and ^(QU)cause it to overflow;
You greatly ^(QV)enrich it;
The ^[gc]^(QW)stream of God is full of water;
You prepare their ^(QX)grain, for so You prepare ^[gd]the earth.
¹⁰You water its furrows abundantly,
You ^[ge]settle its ridges,
You soften it ^(QY)with showers,
You bless its growth.
¹¹You have crowned the year ^[gf]with Your ^(QZ)goodness,
And Your ^[gg]paths ^(RA)drip with fatness.
¹²^(RB)The pastures of the wilderness drip,
And the ^(RC)hills encircle themselves with rejoicing.
¹³The meadows are ^(RD)clothed with flocks
And the valleys are ^(RE)covered with grain;
They ^(RF)shout for joy, yes, they sing.

Praise for God’s Mighty Deeds and for His Answer to Prayer.

For the music director. A Song. A Psalm.

66 ^(RG)Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
²Sing the ^(RH)glory of His name;
Make His ^(RI)praise glorious.
³Say to God, “How ^(RJ)awesome are Your works!
Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will ^(RK)pretend to obey You.
⁴^(RL)All the earth will worship You,
And will ^(RM)sing praises to You;
They will sing praises to Your name.” Selah

⁵^(RN)Come and see the works of God,
Who is ^(RO)awesome in His deeds toward the sons of mankind.
⁶He ^(RP)turned the sea into dry land;
They passed through ^(RQ)the river on foot;
Let’s ^(RR)rejoice there, in Him!
⁷He ^(RS)rules by His might forever;
His ^(RT)eyes keep watch on the nations;
The rebellious shall not ^(RU)exalt themselves! Selah

⁸Bless our God, you peoples,
And ^[gh]^(RV)sound His praise abroad,
⁹Who ^[gi]^(RW)keeps us in life,
And ^(RX)does not allow our feet to ^[gj]slip.
¹⁰For You have ^(RY)put us to the test, God;
You have ^(RZ)refined us as silver is refined.
¹¹You ^(SA)brought us into the net;
You laid an oppressive burden upon ^[gk]us.
¹²You made men ^(SB)ride over our heads;
We went through ^(SC)fire and through water.
Yet You ^(SD)brought us out into a place of abundance.
¹³I shall ^(SE)come into Your house with burnt offerings;
I shall ^(SF)pay You my vows,
¹⁴Which my lips uttered
And my mouth spoke when I was ^(SG)in distress.
¹⁵I shall ^(SH)offer to You burnt offerings of fat animals,
With the smoke of ^(SI)rams;
I shall make an offering of ^[gl]bulls with male goats. Selah

¹⁶^(SJ)Come and hear, all who ^[gm]fear God,
And I will ^(SK)tell of what He has done for my soul.
¹⁷I cried to Him with my mouth,
And ^[gn]He was ^(SL)exalted with my tongue.
¹⁸If I ^[go]^(SM)regard wickedness in my heart,
The ^(SN)Lord will not hear;
¹⁹But ^(SO)God has heard;
He has given attention to the sound of my prayer.
²⁰^(SP)Blessed be God,
Who ^(SQ)has not turned away my prayer
Nor His favor from me.

Footnotes

Psalm 48:6 Lit Trembling
Psalm 48:14 Lit this
Psalm 48:14 Lit upon; some mss and LXX forever
Psalm 49:4 Lit open up
Psalm 49:8 Lit their
Psalm 49:9 Or see corruption; lit see the pit
Psalm 49:11 Some ancient versions graves are their houses
Psalm 49:12 Lit are destroyed
Psalm 49:14 I.e., the netherworld
Psalm 49:14 I.e., the netherworld
Psalm 49:14 Lit Away from his habitation
Psalm 49:15 Lit hand
Psalm 49:15 I.e., the netherworld
Psalm 49:17 Lit glory
Psalm 49:18 Lit his soul
Psalm 49:19 Lit You; or It
Psalm 49:20 Lit are destroyed
Psalm 50 Title 1 Chr 15:17; 2 Chr 29:30
Psalm 50:1 I.e., the east to the west
Psalm 50:7 Or to
Psalm 50:11 Or in My mind; lit with Me
Psalm 50:12 Lit its fullness
Psalm 50:13 Lit strong ones
Psalm 50:18 Lit your part is with
Psalm 50:19 Lit send
Psalm 51 Title 2 Sam 12:1
Psalm 51:4 Or may be in the right
Psalm 51:4 Many mss in Your words
Psalm 51:4 Lit pure
Psalm 51:6 Or inward parts
Psalm 51:7 Or May You purify...that I may be clean
Psalm 51:7 Or May You cleanse
Psalm 51:8 Or May You cause
Psalm 51:10 Lit for
Psalm 51:13 Or turn back
Psalm 51:15 Or may You open
Psalm 51:18 Or May You build
Psalm 51:19 Or sacrifices of righteousness
Psalm 51:19 Lit they will offer bulls
Psalm 52 Title Possibly Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
Psalm 52 Title 1 Sam 22:9
Psalm 52:5 Or Also
Psalm 52:7 Or his destruction
Psalm 53 Title I.e., sickness, a sad tone
Psalm 53 Title Possibly Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
Psalm 53:2 Or acts wisely
Psalm 53:5 Or dread
Psalm 53:5 Or dread
Psalm 53:5 Or possibly those
Psalm 54 Title Possibly Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
Psalm 54 Title 1 Sam 23:19; 26:1
Psalm 54:1 Lit judge
Psalm 54:3 Or soul
Psalm 54:4 Lit as those who sustain
Psalm 54:5 LXX; MT The evil will return
Psalm 54:5 Or Put to silence
Psalm 54:5 Or truth
Psalm 54:6 Or With a voluntary offering
Psalm 54:7 Or it; i.e., His name
Psalm 54:7 Or distress
Psalm 55 Title Possibly Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
Psalm 55:2 Another reading is I must moan
Psalm 55:3 Or wickedness
Psalm 55:5 Lit shuddering
Psalm 55:5 Lit covered
Psalm 55:6 Lit settle down
Psalm 55:11 Or plaza
Psalm 55:13 Lit according to my valuation
Psalm 55:14 Lit counsel; or intimacy
Psalm 55:15 Another reading is devastation be upon them
Psalm 55:15 I.e., the netherworld
Psalm 55:18 Or so that none may approach me
Psalm 55:19 Or remains from
Psalm 55:19 Lit are no changes
Psalm 55:20 Lit profaned
Psalm 55:21 Lit mouth
Psalm 55:22 Or totter
Psalm 56 Title Or The silent dove of those who are far off; or The dove of the distant terebinths
Psalm 56 Title Possibly Epigrammatic Poem; or Atonement Psalm
Psalm 56 Title 1 Sam 21:10, 11
Psalm 56:1 Or snapped at
Psalm 56:1 Or A fighting man
Psalm 56:2 Or many are fighting
Psalm 56:3 Lit The day
Psalm 56:3 Or I am one who puts
Psalm 56:4 Lit flesh
Psalm 56:5 Or purposes
Psalm 56:6 Or stir up strife
Psalm 56:6 Lit heels
Psalm 56:6 Lit soul
Psalm 56:8 Or wanderings
Psalm 56:9 Or because
Psalm 56:11 Or trust without fear
Psalm 56:13 Or Have You not delivered
Psalm 56:13 Or life
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
Psalm 62 Title Cf. 1 Chr 16:41; 25:1; Ps 39 and 77 titles
Psalm 62:4 Lit his
Psalm 62:11 Or one thing
Psalm 62:11 Or These two things I have heard
Psalm 63 Title 1 Sam 22:5; 23:14
Psalm 63:3 Or faithfulness
Psalm 63:8 Lit after
Psalm 63:9 Lit soul
Psalm 63:9 Lit lowest places
Psalm 63:10 Lit They will pour him out
Psalm 63:10 Lit poured out by
Psalm 63:10 Lit portion
Psalm 64:1 Or concern
Psalm 64:4 Lit in
Psalm 64:5 Lit matter
Psalm 64:5 Lit tell of
Psalm 64:6 Or search out
Psalm 64:6 Lit complete
Psalm 64:6 Or inward part
Psalm 64:6 Or unsearchable
Psalm 64:7 Or shot
Psalm 64:7 Or they were wounded; lit their wounds occurred
Psalm 64:8 Or they make their tongue a stumbling for themselves
Psalm 64:8 Or made
Psalm 64:9 Or feared
Psalm 64:9 Or declared
Psalm 64:9 Or considered
Psalm 64:9 Lit His work
Psalm 65:1 Lit to
Psalm 65:2 Lit flesh comes
Psalm 65:3 Or Confessions of wrongdoings
Psalm 65:3 Lit cover, atone for
Psalm 65:5 Or seas
Psalm 65:8 Lit outgoings of the morning and evening
Psalm 65:9 Or channel
Psalm 65:9 Lit it
Psalm 65:10 Or smooth
Psalm 65:11 Lit of
Psalm 65:11 I.e., wagon tracks
Psalm 66:8 Lit cause to hear the sound of His praise
Psalm 66:9 Lit puts our soul in life
Psalm 66:9 Or dodder, stumble
Psalm 66:11 Lit our loins
Psalm 66:15 Or cattle
Psalm 66:16 Or revere
Psalm 66:17 Or praise was under my tongue
Psalm 66:18 Or had regarded