Psalm 56–59

Psalm 56

¹Unto the end, destroy not, for David, for an inscription of a title, when he fled from Saul into the cave.

²Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me: for my soul trusteth in thee. And in the shadow of thy wings will I hope, until iniquity pass away.

³I will cry to God the most high; to God who hath done good to me.

⁴He hath sent from heaven and delivered me: he hath made them a reproach that trod upon me. God hath sent his mercy and his truth,

⁵And he hath delivered my soul from the midst of the young lions. I slept troubled. The sons of men, whose teeth are weapons and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

⁶Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens, and thy glory above all the earth.

⁷They prepared a snare for my feet; and they bowed down my soul. They dug a pit before my face, and they are fallen into it.

⁸My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready: I will sing, and rehearse a psalm.

⁹Arise, O my glory, arise psaltery and harp: I will arise early.

¹⁰I will give praise to thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing a psalm to thee among the nations.

¹¹For thy mercy is magnified even to the heavens: and thy truth unto the clouds.

¹²Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth.

Psalm 57

¹Unto the end, destroy not, for David, for an inscription of a title.

²If in very deed ye speak justice: judge right things, ye sons of men.

³For in your heart you work iniquity: your hands forge injustice in the earth.

⁴The wicked are alienated from the womb; they have gone astray from the womb: they have spoken false things.

⁵Their madness is according to the likeness of a serpent: like the deaf asp that stoppeth her ears:

⁶Which will not hear the voice of the charmers; nor of the wizard that charmeth wisely.

⁷God shall break in pieces their teeth in their mouth: the Lord shall break the grinders of the lions.

⁸They shall come to nothing, like water running down; he hath bent his bow till they be weakened.

⁹Like wax that melteth they shall be taken away: fire hath fallen on them, and they shall not see the sun.

¹⁰Before your thorns could know the brier; he swalloweth them up, as alive, in his wrath.

¹¹The just shall rejoice when he shall see the revenge: he shall wash his hands in the blood of the sinner.

¹²And man shall say: If indeed there be fruit to the just: there is indeed a God that judgeth them on the earth.

Psalm 58

¹Unto the end, destroy not, for David for an inscription of a title, when Saul sent and watched his house to kill him.

²Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; and defend me from them that rise up against me.

³Deliver me from them that work iniquity, and save me from bloody men.

⁴For behold they have caught my soul: the mighty have rushed in upon me:

⁵Neither is it my iniquity, nor my sin, O Lord: without iniquity have I been, and directed my steps.

⁶Rise up thou to meet me, and behold: even thou, O Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel. Attend to visit all the nations: have no mercy on all them that work iniquity.

⁷They shall return at evening, and shall suffer hunger like dogs: and shall go round about the city.

⁸Behold they shall speak with their mouth, and a sword is in their lips: for who, say they, hath heard us?

⁹But thou, O Lord, shalt laugh at them: thou shalt bring all the nations to nothing.

¹⁰I will keep my strength to thee: for thou art my protector:

¹¹My God, his mercy shall prevent me.

¹²God shall let me see over my enemies: slay them not, lest at any time my people forget. Scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord, my protector:

¹³For the sin of their mouth, and the word of their lips: and let them be taken in their pride. And for their cursing and lying they shall be talked of,

¹⁴When they are consumed: when they are consumed by thy wrath, and they shall be no more. And they shall know that God will rule Jacob, and all the ends of the earth.

¹⁵They shall return at evening and shall suffer hunger like dogs: and shall go round about the city.

¹⁶They shall be scattered abroad to eat, and shall murmur if they be not filled.

¹⁷But I will sing thy strength: and will extol thy mercy in the morning. For thou art become my support, and my refuge, in the day of my trouble.

¹⁸Unto thee, O my helper, will I sing, for thou art God my defence: my God my mercy.

Psalm 59

¹Unto the end, for them that shall be changed, for the inscription of a title, to David himself, for doctrine, ²When he set fire to Mesopotamia of Syria and Sobal: and Joab returned and slew of Edom, in the vale of the saltpits, twelve thousand men.

³O God, thou hast cast us off, and hast destroyed us; thou hast been angry, and hast had mercy on us.

⁴Thou hast moved the earth, and hast troubled it: heal thou the breaches thereof, for it has been moved.

⁵Thou hast shewn thy people hard things; thou hast made us drink the wine of sorrow.

⁶Thou hast given a warning to them that fear thee: that they may flee from before the bow: That thy beloved may be delivered.

⁷Save me with thy right hand, and hear me.

⁸God hath spoken in his holy place: I will rejoice, and I will divide Sichem; and will mete out the vale of tabernacles.

⁹Galaad is mine, and Manasses is mine: and Ephraim is the strength of my head. Juda is my king:

¹⁰Moab is the pot of my hope. Into Edom will I stretch out my shoe: to me the foreigners are made subject.

¹¹Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?

¹²Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off? and wilt not thou, O God, go out with our armies?

¹³Give us help from trouble: for vain is the salvation of man.

¹⁴Through God we shall do mightily: and he shall bring to nothing them that afflict us.