Psalm 56–58

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.

Psalm 57

For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time he fled from Saul and went into the cave. To be sung to the tune “Do Not Destroy!”

¹Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy!

I look to you for protection.

I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings

until the danger passes by.

²I cry out to God Most High,

to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.

³He will send help from heaven to rescue me,

disgracing those who hound me.

Interlude

My God will send forth his unfailing love and faithfulness.

⁴I am surrounded by fierce lions

who greedily devour human prey—

whose teeth pierce like spears and arrows,

and whose tongues cut like swords.

⁵Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens!

May your glory shine over all the earth.

⁶My enemies have set a trap for me.

I am weary from distress.

They have dug a deep pit in my path,

but they themselves have fallen into it.

Interlude

⁷My heart is confident in you, O God;

my heart is confident.

No wonder I can sing your praises!

⁸Wake up, my heart!

Wake up, O lyre and harp!

I will wake the dawn with my song.

⁹I will thank you, Lord, among all the people.

I will sing your praises among the nations.

¹⁰For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens.

Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

¹¹Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.

May your glory shine over all the earth.

Psalm 58

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Do Not Destroy!”

¹Justice—do you rulers know the meaning of the word?

Do you judge the people fairly?

²No! You plot injustice in your hearts.

You spread violence throughout the land.

³These wicked people are born sinners;

even from birth they have lied and gone their own way.

⁴They spit venom like deadly snakes;

they are like cobras that refuse to listen,

⁵ignoring the tunes of the snake charmers,

no matter how skillfully they play.

⁶Break off their fangs, O God!

Smash the jaws of these lions, O Lord!

⁷May they disappear like water into thirsty ground.

Make their weapons useless in their hands.

⁸May they be like snails that dissolve into slime,

like a stillborn child who will never see the sun.

⁹God will sweep them away, both young and old,

faster than a pot heats over burning thorns.

¹⁰The godly will rejoice when they see injustice avenged.

They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.

¹¹Then at last everyone will say,

“There truly is a reward for those who live for God;

surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth.”