Pleading for Help and Grateful Trust in God.

For the music director; according to [a]Jonath elem rehokim. A [b]Mikhtam of David, [c]when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

56 Be gracious to me, God, for a man has [d](A)trampled upon me;
[e]Fighting all day long he (B)oppresses me.
My enemies have (C)trampled upon me all day long,
For [f]they are many who (D)fight proudly against me.
[g]When I am (E)afraid,
[h]I will (F)put my trust in You.
(G)In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not be afraid.
(H)What can mere [i]mortals do to me?
All day long they (I)distort my words;
All their [j](J)thoughts are against me for evil.
They [k](K)attack, they lurk,
They (L)watch my [l]steps,
As they have (M)waited to take my [m]life.
Because of their wickedness, will there be an (N)escape for them?
In anger (O)make the peoples fall down, God!

You (P)have taken account of my [n]miseries;
Put my (Q)tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in (R)Your book?
Then my enemies will (S)turn back (T)on the day when I call;
This I know, [o]that (U)God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
In the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 In God I have put my [p]trust, I shall not be afraid.
What can mankind do to me?
12 Your (V)vows are binding upon me, God;
I will render thanksgiving offerings to You.
13 For You have (W)saved my soul from death,
[q]Indeed (X)my feet from stumbling,
So that I may (Y)walk before God
In the (Z)light of the [r]living.

Prayer for Rescue from Persecutors.

For the music director; set to [s]Al-tashheth. A [t]Mikhtam of David, [u]when he fled from Saul in the cave.

57 Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me,
For my soul (AA)takes refuge in You;
And in the (AB)shadow of Your wings I will take refuge
Until destruction (AC)passes by.
I will cry to God Most High,
To God who (AD)accomplishes all things for me.
He will (AE)send from heaven and save me;
He rebukes the one who [v](AF)tramples upon me. Selah
God will send His [w](AG)favor and His truth.

My soul is among (AH)lions;
I must lie among those who devour,
Among sons of mankind whose (AI)teeth are spears and arrows,
And their (AJ)tongue is a sharp sword.
(AK)Be exalted above the heavens, God;
May Your glory be above all the earth.
They have prepared a (AL)net for my steps;
My soul is (AM)bowed down;
They (AN)dug a pit before me;
They themselves have (AO)fallen into the midst of it. Selah

(AP)My (AQ)heart is steadfast, God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!
Awake, (AR)my glory!
Awake, (AS)harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
(AT)I will praise You, Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the [x]nations.
10 For Your (AU)goodness is great to the heavens
And Your [y]truth to the clouds.
11 (AV)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 [z]Al-tashheth. A [aa]Mikhtam of David.

58 Do you indeed [ab]speak righteousness, you [ac]gods?
Do you (AW)judge [ad]fairly, you sons of mankind?
No, in heart you (AX)practice injustice;
On earth you (AY)clear a way for the violence of your hands.
The wicked have turned away (AZ)from the womb;
These who speak lies (BA)go astray from [ae]birth.
They have venom like the (BB)venom of a serpent;
Like a deaf cobra that stops up its ear,
So that it (BC)does not hear the voice of [af](BD)charmers,
Or a skillful caster of spells.

God, (BE)shatter their teeth in their mouth;
Break out the fangs of the young lions, Lord.
May they (BF)flow away like water that runs off;
When he [ag](BG)aims his arrows, may they be as [ah]headless shafts.
May they be like a snail which goes along in slime,
Like the (BH)miscarriage of a woman that never sees the sun.
Before your (BI)pots can feel the fire of thorns
He will (BJ)sweep them away with a whirlwind, the [ai]green and the burning alike.

10 The (BK)righteous will rejoice when he (BL)sees vengeance;
He will (BM)wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 And people will say, “There certainly is [aj](BN)a reward for the righteous;
There certainly is a God who (BO)judges on the earth!”

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 56 Title Or The silent dove of those who are far off; or The dove of the distant terebinths
  2. Psalm 56 Title Possibly Epigrammatic Poem; or Atonement Psalm
  3. Psalm 56 Title 1 Sam 21:10, 11
  4. Psalm 56:1 Or snapped at
  5. Psalm 56:1 Or A fighting man
  6. Psalm 56:2 Or many are fighting
  7. Psalm 56:3 Lit The day
  8. Psalm 56:3 Or I am one who puts
  9. Psalm 56:4 Lit flesh
  10. Psalm 56:5 Or purposes
  11. Psalm 56:6 Or stir up strife
  12. Psalm 56:6 Lit heels
  13. Psalm 56:6 Lit soul
  14. Psalm 56:8 Or wanderings
  15. Psalm 56:9 Or because
  16. Psalm 56:11 Or trust without fear
  17. Psalm 56:13 Or Have You not delivered
  18. Psalm 56:13 Or life
  19. Psalm 57 Title Lit Do Not Destroy
  20. Psalm 57 Title Possibly, Epigrammatic Poem; or Atonement Psalm
  21. Psalm 57 Title 1 Sam 22:1; 24:3
  22. Psalm 57:3 Or snaps at
  23. Psalm 57:3 Or faithfulness
  24. Psalm 57:9 Lit peoples
  25. Psalm 57:10 Or faithfulness
  26. Psalm 58 Title Lit Do Not Destroy
  27. Psalm 58 Title Possibly Epigrammatic Poem or Atonement Psalm
  28. Psalm 58:1 Another reading is speak righteousness in silence
  29. Psalm 58:1 Or mighty ones; or judges
  30. Psalm 58:1 Or mankind fairly?
  31. Psalm 58:3 Lit the womb
  32. Psalm 58:5 Or whisperers
  33. Psalm 58:7 Lit bends
  34. Psalm 58:7 Lit though they were cut off
  35. Psalm 58:9 Lit living
  36. Psalm 58:11 Lit fruit

Prayer for Rescue from Secret Enemies.

For the music director. A Psalm of David.

64 Hear my voice, God, in (A)my [a]complaint;
(B)Protect my life from dread of the enemy.
Hide me from the (C)secret discussion of evildoers,
From the restlessness of (D)the workers of injustice,
Who (E)have sharpened their tongues like a sword.
They (F)aimed bitter speech as their arrows,
To (G)shoot [b]from concealment at the innocent;
Suddenly they shoot at him, and (H)do not fear.
They make firm for themselves an evil [c]purpose;
They [d]talk of (I)setting snares secretly;
They say, “(J)Who can see them?”
They [e]devise injustices, saying,
“We are [f]ready with a well-conceived plot”;
For the [g](K)inward thought and the heart of a person are [h]deep.

But (L)God [i]will shoot an arrow at them;
Suddenly [j]they will be wounded.
So [k]they [l]will (M)make him stumble;
(N)Their own tongue is against them;
All who see them will (O)shake their heads.
Then all people [m]will (P)fear,
And they [n]will (Q)declare the work of God,
And [o]will consider [p]what He has done.
10 The righteous person will be (R)glad in the Lord and (S)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 [q]before You, and praise in Zion, God,
And the (T)vow will be fulfilled for You.
You who hear prayer,
To You (U)all [r]mankind comes.
[s](V)Wrongdoings prevail against me;
As for our offenses, You [t](W)forgive them.
(X)Blessed is the one You (Y)choose and allow to approach You;
He will dwell in Your courtyards.
We will be (Z)satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Your holy temple.

By (AA)awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, (AB)God of our salvation,
You who are the trust of all the (AC)ends of the earth and the farthest [u](AD)sea;
Who (AE)establishes the mountains by His strength,
Who is (AF)encircled with might;
Who (AG)stills the roaring of the seas,
The roaring of their waves,
And the (AH)turmoil of the nations.
They who dwell at the (AI)ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs;
You make the [v]sunrise and the sunset shout for joy.

You visit the earth and (AJ)cause it to overflow;
You greatly (AK)enrich it;
The [w](AL)stream of God is full of water;
You prepare their (AM)grain, for so You prepare [x]the earth.
10 You water its furrows abundantly,
You [y]settle its ridges,
You soften it (AN)with showers,
You bless its growth.
11 You have crowned the year [z]with Your (AO)goodness,
And Your [aa]paths (AP)drip with fatness.
12 (AQ)The pastures of the wilderness drip,
And the (AR)hills encircle themselves with rejoicing.
13 The meadows are (AS)clothed with flocks
And the valleys are (AT)covered with grain;
They (AU)shout for joy, yes, they sing.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 64:1 Or concern
  2. Psalm 64:4 Lit in
  3. Psalm 64:5 Lit matter
  4. Psalm 64:5 Lit tell of
  5. Psalm 64:6 Or search out
  6. Psalm 64:6 Lit complete
  7. Psalm 64:6 Or inward part
  8. Psalm 64:6 Or unsearchable
  9. Psalm 64:7 Or shot
  10. Psalm 64:7 Or they were wounded; lit their wounds occurred
  11. Psalm 64:8 Or they make their tongue a stumbling for themselves
  12. Psalm 64:8 Or made
  13. Psalm 64:9 Or feared
  14. Psalm 64:9 Or declared
  15. Psalm 64:9 Or considered
  16. Psalm 64:9 Lit His work
  17. Psalm 65:1 Lit to
  18. Psalm 65:2 Lit flesh comes
  19. Psalm 65:3 Or Confessions of wrongdoings
  20. Psalm 65:3 Lit cover, atone for
  21. Psalm 65:5 Or seas
  22. Psalm 65:8 Lit outgoings of the morning and evening
  23. Psalm 65:9 Or channel
  24. Psalm 65:9 Lit it
  25. Psalm 65:10 Or smooth
  26. Psalm 65:11 Lit of
  27. Psalm 65:11 I.e., wagon tracks

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