Old/New Testament
Psalm 54
Prayer for Deliverance
For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A Davidic Maskil. When the Ziphites went and said to Saul, “Is David not hiding among us?”(A)
1 God, save me by Your name,
and vindicate me by Your might!(B)
2 God, hear my prayer;
listen to the words of my mouth.(C)
3 For strangers rise up against me,
and violent men seek my life.
They have no regard for God.[a](D)
4 God is my helper;
the Lord is the sustainer of my life.[b](E)
5 He will repay my adversaries for their evil.
Because of Your faithfulness, annihilate them.(F)
6 I will sacrifice a freewill offering to You.(G)
I will praise Your name, Yahweh,
because it is good.(H)
7 For He has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eye has looked down on my enemies.(I)
Psalm 55
Betrayal by a Friend
For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A Davidic Maskil.
1 God, listen to my prayer
and do not ignore[c] my plea for help.(J)
2 Pay attention to me and answer me.(K)
I am restless and in turmoil with my complaint,(L)
3 because of the enemy’s voice,
because of the pressure[d] of the wicked.
For they bring down disaster on me[e]
and harass me in anger.(M)
4 My heart shudders within me;(N)
terrors of death sweep over me.
5 Fear and trembling grip me;
horror has overwhelmed me.(O)
6 I said, “If only I had[f] wings like a dove!
I would fly away and find rest.(P)
7 How far away I would flee;
I would stay in the wilderness.(Q)
8 I would hurry to my shelter
from the raging wind and the storm.”(R)
9 Lord, confuse[g] and confound their speech,[h](S)
for I see violence and strife in the city;
10 day and night they make the rounds on its walls.
Crime and trouble are within it;(T)
11 destruction is inside it;
oppression and deceit never leave its marketplace.(U)
12 Now it is not an enemy who insults me—
otherwise I could bear it;
it is not a foe who rises up against me—
otherwise I could hide from him.
13 But it is you, a man who is my peer,
my companion and good friend!(V)
14 We used to have close fellowship;
we walked with the crowd into the house of God.(W)
15 Let death take them by surprise;(X)
let them go down to Sheol alive,
because evil is in their homes and within them.(Y)
16 But I call to God,
and the Lord will save me.(Z)
17 I complain and groan morning, noon, and night,(AA)
and He hears my voice.(AB)
18 Though many are against me,
He will redeem me from my battle unharmed.(AC)
19 God, the One enthroned from long ago,(AD)
will hear and will humiliate them
because they do not change
and do not fear God.(AE)
20 My friend(AF) acts violently
against those at peace with him;(AG)
he violates his covenant.(AH)
21 His buttery words are smooth,[i]
but war is in his heart.
His words are softer than oil,
but they are drawn swords.(AI)
22 Cast your burden on the Lord,
and He will sustain you;(AJ)
He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.(AK)
23 God, You will bring them down
to the Pit of destruction;(AL)
men of bloodshed and treachery
will not live out half their days.(AM)
But I will trust in You.(AN)
Psalm 56
A Call for God’s Protection
For the choir director: according to “A Silent Dove Far Away.”[j] A Davidic Miktam. When the Philistines seized him in Gath.(AO)
1 Be gracious to me, God, for man tramples me;
he fights and oppresses me all day long.
2 My adversaries trample me all day,
for many arrogantly fight against me.[k](AP)
3 When I am afraid,
I will trust in You.(AQ)
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?(AR)
5 They twist my words all day long;
all their thoughts against me are evil.(AS)
6 They stir up strife,[l] they lurk;
they watch my steps
while they wait to take my life.(AT)
7 Will they escape in spite of such sin?
God, bring down the nations in wrath.(AU)
8 You Yourself have recorded my wanderings.[m]
Put my tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in Your records?(AV)
9 Then my enemies will retreat on the day when I call.(AW)
This I know: God is for me.(AX)
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?(AY)
Paul Answers an Objection
3 So what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? 2 Considerable in every way. First, they were entrusted(A) with the spoken words of God.(B) 3 What then? If some did not believe,(C) will their unbelief cancel God’s faithfulness? 4 Absolutely not!(D) God must be true, even if everyone is a liar,(E) as it is written:
5 But if our unrighteousness highlights[b] God’s righteousness,(G) what are we to say?(H) I use a human argument:[c](I) Is God unrighteous to inflict wrath? 6 Absolutely not! Otherwise, how will God judge the world?(J) 7 But if by my lie God’s truth is amplified to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?(K) 8 And why not say, just as some people slanderously claim we say, “Let us do what is evil so that good may come”?(L) Their condemnation is deserved!
The Whole World Guilty before God
9 What then? Are we any better?[d] Not at all! For we have previously charged that both Jews(M) and Gentiles[e](N) are all under sin,[f](O) 10 as it is written:[g]
There is no one righteous, not even one.
11 There is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away;
all alike have become useless.
There is no one who does what is good,
not even one.(P)[h]
13 Their throat is an open grave;
they deceive with their tongues.(Q)[i]
Vipers’ venom is under their lips.(R)[j]
14 Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.(S)[k]
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 ruin and wretchedness are in their paths,
17 and the path of peace they have not known.(T)[l]
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.(U)[m]
19 Now we know that whatever the law says(V) speaks to those who are subject to the law,[n](W) so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God’s judgment.[o](X) 20 For no one will be justified[p] in His sight by the works of the law,(Y) because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.(Z)
God’s Righteousness through Faith
21 But now, apart from the law, God’s righteousness has been revealed(AA)—attested by the Law and the Prophets[q](AB) 22 —that is, God’s righteousness through faith(AC) in Jesus Christ,[r](AD) to all who believe,(AE) since there is no distinction.(AF) 23 For all have sinned(AG) and fall short of the[s] glory of God. 24 They are justified freely by His grace(AH) through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.(AI) 25 God presented Him as a propitiation[t](AJ) through faith in His blood,(AK) to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God(AL) passed over the sins previously committed.(AM) 26 God presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous[u] the one who has faith in Jesus.
Boasting Excluded
27 Where then is boasting?(AN) It is excluded. By what kind of law?[v](AO) By one of works? No, on the contrary, by a law[w] of faith. 28 For we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.(AP) 29 Or is God for Jews only?(AQ) Is He not also for Gentiles? Yes, for Gentiles too, 30 since there is one God(AR) who will justify the circumcised by faith(AS) and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then cancel the law through faith? Absolutely not!(AT) On the contrary, we uphold the law.(AU)
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