Psalm 57–60

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.”

Psalm 59

For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time Saul sent soldiers to watch David’s house in order to kill him. To be sung to the tune “Do Not Destroy!”

¹Rescue me from my enemies, O God.

Protect me from those who have come to destroy me.

²Rescue me from these criminals;

save me from these murderers.

³They have set an ambush for me.

Fierce enemies are out there waiting, Lord,

though I have not sinned or offended them.

⁴I have done nothing wrong,

yet they prepare to attack me.

Wake up! See what is happening and help me!

⁵O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,

wake up and punish those hostile nations.

Show no mercy to wicked traitors.

Interlude

⁶They come out at night,

snarling like vicious dogs

as they prowl the streets.

⁷Listen to the filth that comes from their mouths;

their words cut like swords.

“After all, who can hear us?” they sneer.

⁸But Lord, you laugh at them.

You scoff at all the hostile nations.

⁹You are my strength; I wait for you to rescue me,

for you, O God, are my fortress.

¹⁰In his unfailing love, my God will stand with me.

He will let me look down in triumph on all my enemies.

¹¹Don’t kill them, for my people soon forget such lessons;

stagger them with your power, and bring them to their knees,

O Lord our shield.

¹²Because of the sinful things they say,

because of the evil that is on their lips,

let them be captured by their pride,

their curses, and their lies.

¹³Destroy them in your anger!

Wipe them out completely!

Then the whole world will know

that God reigns in Israel.

Interlude

¹⁴My enemies come out at night,

snarling like vicious dogs

as they prowl the streets.

¹⁵They scavenge for food

but go to sleep unsatisfied.

¹⁶But as for me, I will sing about your power.

Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love.

For you have been my refuge,

a place of safety when I am in distress.

¹⁷O my Strength, to you I sing praises,

for you, O God, are my refuge,

the God who shows me unfailing love.

Psalm 60

For the choir director: A psalm of David useful for teaching, regarding the time David fought Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and killed 12,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. To be sung to the tune “Lily of the Testimony.”

¹You have rejected us, O God, and broken our defenses.

You have been angry with us; now restore us to your favor.

²You have shaken our land and split it open.

Seal the cracks, for the land trembles.

³You have been very hard on us,

making us drink wine that sent us reeling.

⁴But you have raised a banner for those who fear you—

a rallying point in the face of attack.

Interlude

⁵Now rescue your beloved people.

Answer and save us by your power.

⁶God has promised this by his holiness:

“I will divide up Shechem with joy.

I will measure out the valley of Succoth.

⁷Gilead is mine,

and Manasseh, too.

Ephraim, my helmet, will produce my warriors,

and Judah, my scepter, will produce my kings.

⁸But Moab, my washbasin, will become my servant,

and I will wipe my feet on Edom

and shout in triumph over Philistia.”

⁹Who will bring me into the fortified city?

Who will bring me victory over Edom?

¹⁰Have you rejected us, O God?

Will you no longer march with our armies?

¹¹Oh, please help us against our enemies,

for all human help is useless.

¹²With God’s help we will do mighty things,

for he will trample down our foes.