Psalm 54:1–56:13

¹Come with great power, O God, and rescue me!

Defend me with your might.

²Listen to my prayer, O God.

Pay attention to my plea.

³For strangers are attacking me;

violent people are trying to kill me.

They care nothing for God.

Interlude

⁴But God is my helper.

The Lord keeps me alive!

⁵May the evil plans of my enemies be turned against them.

Do as you promised and put an end to them.

⁶I will sacrifice a voluntary offering to you;

I will praise your name, O Lord,

for it is good.

⁷For you have rescued me from my troubles

and helped me to triumph over my enemies.

Psalm 55

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.

¹Listen to my prayer, O God.

Do not ignore my cry for help!

²Please listen and answer me,

for I am overwhelmed by my troubles.

³My enemies shout at me,

making loud and wicked threats.

They bring trouble on me

and angrily hunt me down.

⁴My heart pounds in my chest.

The terror of death assaults me.

⁵Fear and trembling overwhelm me,

and I can’t stop shaking.

⁶Oh, that I had wings like a dove;

then I would fly away and rest!

⁷I would fly far away

to the quiet of the wilderness.

Interlude

⁸How quickly I would escape—

far from this wild storm of hatred.

⁹Confuse them, Lord, and frustrate their plans,

for I see violence and conflict in the city.

¹⁰Its walls are patrolled day and night against invaders,

but the real danger is wickedness within the city.

¹¹Everything is falling apart;

threats and cheating are rampant in the streets.

¹²It is not an enemy who taunts me—

I could bear that.

It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me—

I could have hidden from them.

¹³Instead, it is you—my equal,

my companion and close friend.

¹⁴What good fellowship we once enjoyed

as we walked together to the house of God.

¹⁵Let death stalk my enemies;

let the grave swallow them alive,

for evil makes its home within them.

¹⁶But I will call on God,

and the Lord will rescue me.

¹⁷Morning, noon, and night

I cry out in my distress,

and the Lord hears my voice.

¹⁸He ransoms me and keeps me safe

from the battle waged against me,

though many still oppose me.

¹⁹God, who has ruled forever,

will hear me and humble them.

Interlude

For my enemies refuse to change their ways;

they do not fear God.

²⁰As for my companion, he betrayed his friends;

he broke his promises.

²¹His words are as smooth as butter,

but in his heart is war.

His words are as soothing as lotion,

but underneath are daggers!

²²Give your burdens to the Lord,

and he will take care of you.

He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

²³But you, O God, will send the wicked

down to the pit of destruction.

Murderers and liars will die young,

but I am trusting you to save me.

Psalm 56

For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time the Philistines seized him in Gath. To be sung to the tune “Dove on Distant Oaks.”

¹O God, have mercy on me,

for people are hounding me.

My foes attack me all day long.

²I am constantly hounded by those who slander me,

and many are boldly attacking me.

³But when I am afraid,

I will put my trust in you.

⁴I praise God for what he has promised.

I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?

What can mere mortals do to me?

⁵They are always twisting what I say;

they spend their days plotting to harm me.

⁶They come together to spy on me—

watching my every step, eager to kill me.

⁷Don’t let them get away with their wickedness;

in your anger, O God, bring them down.

⁸You keep track of all my sorrows.

You have collected all my tears in your bottle.

You have recorded each one in your book.

⁹My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help.

This I know: God is on my side!

¹⁰I praise God for what he has promised;

Yes, I praise the Lord for what he has promised.

¹¹I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?

What can mere mortals do to me?

¹²I will fulfill my vows to you, O God,

and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for your help.

¹³For you have rescued me from death;

you have kept my feet from slipping.

So now I can walk in your presence, O God,

in your life-giving light.