Psalm 58–59

PSALM 58

There Is a God Who Judges on Earth

For the choir director. ^†Al-tashheth. Of David. A ^•Mikhtam.

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

Do you ^ajudge ³with equity, O sons of men?

²No, in heart you ^awork unrighteousness;

On earth you ^1bprepare a path for the violence of your hands.

³The wicked are estranged ^afrom the womb;

These who speak falsehood ^bwander in error from ¹birth.

⁴They have venom like the ^avenom of a serpent;

Like a deaf cobra that stops up its ear,

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

Or a skillful caster of spells.

⁶O God, ^ashatter their teeth in their mouth;

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

⁷Let them ^aflow away like water that runs off;

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

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

Like the ^amiscarriages of a woman which never behold the sun.

⁹Before your ^apots can feel the fire of thorns

He will ^bsweep them away with a whirlwind, the living and the burning alike.

¹⁰The ^arighteous will be glad when he ^bbeholds the vengeance;

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

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

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

PSALM 59

Deliver Me from My Enemies

For the choir director. ^†Al-tashheth. Of David. A ^•Mikhtam. ^{^}When Saul sent men and they watched the house in order to put him to death.

^1aDeliver me from my enemies, O my God;

^1bSet me securely on high away from those who rise up against me.

²Deliver me from ^aworkers of iniquity

And save me from ^bmen of bloodshed.

³For behold, they ^ahave lain in wait for my soul;

¹Fierce men ^2blaunch an attack against me,

^cNot for my transgression nor for my sin, O Yahweh,

^41aFor no guilt of mine, they run and set themselves against me.

^bArouse Yourself to meet me, and see!

⁵You, ^aO Yahweh God of hosts, the God of Israel,

Awake to ^1bpunish all the nations;

^cDo not be gracious to any who are treacherous in ²iniquity. ³Selah.

⁶They ^areturn at evening, they howl like a ^bdog,

And go around the city.

⁷Behold, they ^apour forth speech with their mouth;

^bSwords are in their lips,

For, they say, “^cWho hears?”

⁸But You, O Yahweh, ^alaugh at them;

You ^bmock all the nations.

⁹Because of ¹his ^astrength I will watch for You,

For God is my ^bstronghold.

¹⁰¹My God ^ain His lovingkindness will approach me;

God will let me ^blook triumphantly upon ²my foes.

¹¹Do not slay them, ^aor my people will forget;

^bMake them wander about by Your power, and bring them down,

O Lord, ^cour shield.

¹²¹On account of the ^asin of their mouth and the word of their lips,

Let them even be ^bcaught in their pride,

And on account of ^ccurses and ²lies which they utter.

^131aDestroy them in wrath, ²destroy them that they may be no more;

That men may ^bknow that God ³rules in Jacob

To the ends of the earth. Selah.

¹⁴They ^areturn at evening, they howl like a dog,

And go around the city.

¹⁵They ^awander about ¹for food

And ²growl if they are not satisfied.

¹⁶But as for me, I shall ^asing of Your strength;

And I shall ^bjoyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the ^cmorning,

For You have been my ^dstronghold

And a ^erefuge in the day of my distress.

^17aO my strength, I will sing praises to You;

For God is my ^bstronghold, the ¹God who shows me lovingkindness.