Psalm 54–57
Prayer for Defense against Enemies.
For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A †Maskil of David, •when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “Is not David hiding himself among us?”
1 Save me, O God, by aYour name,
And 1vindicate me by bYour power.
2 aHear my prayer, O God;
bGive ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers have arisen against me
And bviolent men have csought my 1life;
They have dnot set God before them.
2Selah.
4 Behold, aGod is my helper;
The Lord is 1the bsustainer of my soul.
5 1He will arecompense the evil to 2my foes;
3bDestroy them cin Your 4faithfulness.
6 1aWillingly I will sacrifice to You;
I will give bthanks to Your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7 For 1He has adelivered me from all 2trouble,
And my eye has blooked with satisfaction upon my enemies.
Prayer for the Destruction of the Treacherous.
For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A †Maskil of David.
1 aGive ear to my prayer, O God;
And bdo not hide Yourself from my supplication.
2 Give aheed to me and answer me;
I am restless in my bcomplaint and 1cam surely distracted,
3 Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the apressure of the wicked;
For they bbring down 1trouble upon me
And in anger they cbear a grudge against me.
4 My aheart is in anguish within me,
And the terrors of bdeath have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and atrembling come upon me,
And 1bhorror has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and 1abe at rest.
7 “Behold, I would wander far away,
I would alodge in the wilderness.
1Selah.
8 “I would hasten to my place of refuge
From the astormy wind and tempest.”
9 1Confuse, O Lord, adivide their tongues,
For I have seen bviolence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around her upon her walls,
And iniquity and mischief are in her midst.
11 aDestruction is in her midst;
bOppression and deceit do not depart from her 1streets.
12 For it is anot an enemy who reproaches me,
Then I could bear it;
Nor is it one who hates me who bhas exalted himself against me,
Then I could hide myself from him.
13 But it is you, a man 1my equal,
My acompanion and my 2bfamiliar friend;
14 We who had sweet 1fellowship together
aWalked in the house of God in the throng.
15 Let 1death come adeceitfully upon them;
Let them bgo down alive to 2Sheol,
For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.
16 As for me, I shall acall upon God,
And the Lord will save me.
17 aEvening and bmorning and at cnoon, I will complain and murmur,
And He will hear my voice.
18 He will aredeem my soul in peace 1from the battle which is against me,
For they are bmany who strive with me.
19 God will ahear and 1answer them—
Even the one bwho 2sits enthroned from of old—
Selah.
With whom there 3is no change,
And who cdo not fear God.
20 He has put forth his hands against athose who were at peace with him;
He has 1bviolated his covenant.
21 His 1speech was asmoother than butter,
But his heart was war;
His words were asofter than oil,
Yet they were drawn bswords.
22 aCast 1your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;
bHe will never allow the righteous to 2cbe shaken.
23 But You, O God, will bring them down to the 1apit of destruction;
bMen of bloodshed and deceit will cnot live out half their days.
But I will dtrust in You.
Supplication for Deliverance and Grateful Trust in God.
For the choir director; according to †Jonath elem rehokim. A •Mikhtam of David, ^when the Philistines seized him in Gath.
1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man has 1atrampled upon me;
2Fighting all day long he boppresses me.
2 My foes have 1atrampled upon me all day long,
For 2they are many who bfight proudly against me.
4 aIn God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not be afraid.
5 All day long they 1adistort my words;
All their 2bthoughts are against me for evil.
As they have cwaited to take my 3life.
7 Because of wickedness, 1acast them forth,
In anger bput down the peoples, O God!
8 You ahave taken account of my wanderings;
Put my btears in Your bottle.
Are they not in cYour book?
9 Then my enemies will aturn back bin the day when I call;
This I know, 1that cGod is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
In the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 In God I have put my 1trust, I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 Your avows are binding upon me, O God;
I will render thank offerings to You.
13 For You have adelivered my soul from death,
1Indeed bmy feet from stumbling,
So that I may cwalk before God
Prayer for Rescue from Persecutors.
For the choir director; set to †Al-tashheth. A •Mikhtam of David, ^when he fled from Saul in the cave.
1 Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me,
For my soul atakes refuge in You;
And in the bshadow of Your wings I will take refuge
Until destruction cpasses by.
2 I will cry to God Most High,
To God who aaccomplishes all things for me.
3 He will asend from heaven and save me;
He reproaches him who 1btramples upon me.
2Selah.
God will send forth His clovingkindness and His 3truth.
4 My soul is among alions;
I must lie among those who breathe forth fire,
Even the sons of men, whose bteeth are spears and arrows
And their ctongue a sharp sword.
5 aBe exalted above the heavens, O God;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
6 They have 1prepared a anet for my steps;
My soul is bbowed down;
They cdug a pit before me;
They themselves have dfallen into the midst of it.
Selah.
7 aMy bheart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!
8 Awake, amy glory!
Awake, bharp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
9 aI will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the 1nations.
10 For Your alovingkindness is great to the heavens
And Your 1truth to the clouds.
11 aBe exalted above the heavens, O God;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.