Psalm 58–59

¹To the Overseer.—‘Destroy not.’—A secret treasure, by David. Is it true, O dumb one, righteously ye speak? Uprightly ye judge, O sons of men?

²Even in heart ye work iniquities, In the land the violence of your hands ye ponder.

³The wicked have been estranged from the womb, They have erred from the belly, speaking lies.

⁴Their poison is as poison of a serpent, As a deaf asp shutting its ear,

⁵Which hearkeneth not to the voice of whisperers, A charmer of charms most skilful.

⁶O God, break their teeth in their mouth, The jaw-teeth of young lions break down, O Jehovah.

⁷They are melted as waters, They go up and down for themselves, His arrow proceedeth as they cut themselves off.

⁸As a snail that melteth he goeth on, As an untimely birth of a woman, They have not seen the sun.

⁹Before your pots discern the bramble, As well the raw as the heated He whirleth away.

¹⁰The righteous rejoiceth that he hath seen vengeance, His steps he washeth in the blood of the wicked.

¹¹And man saith: ‘Surely fruit is for the righteous: Surely there is a God judging in the earth!’

Psalm 59

¹To the Overseer.—‘Destroy not,’ by David.—A secret treasure, in Saul’s sending, and they watch the house to put him to death. Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God, From my withstanders set me on high.

²Deliver me from workers of iniquity, And from men of blood save me.

³For, lo, they laid wait for my soul, Assembled against me are strong ones, Not my transgression nor my sin, O Jehovah.

⁴Without punishment they run and prepare themselves, Stir up to meet me, and see.

⁵And Thou, Jehovah, God of Hosts, God of Israel, Awake to inspect all the nations. Favour not any treacherous dealers of iniquity. Selah.

⁶They turn back at evening, They make a noise like a dog, And go round about the city.

⁷Lo, they belch out with their mouths, Swords are in their lips, for ‘Who heareth?’

⁸And Thou, O Jehovah dost laugh at them, Thou dost mock at all the nations.

⁹O my Strength, unto Thee I take heed, For God is my tower—the God of my kindness.

¹⁰God doth go before me, He causeth me to look on mine enemies.

¹¹Slay them not, lest my people forget, Shake them by Thy strength, And bring them down, O Lord our shield.

¹²The sin of their mouth is a word of their lips, And they are captured in their pride, And from the curse and lying they recount.

¹³Consume in fury, consume and they are not, And they know that God is ruling in Jacob, To the ends of the earth. Selah.

¹⁴And they turn back at evening, They make a noise like a dog, And they go round about the city.

¹⁵They—they wander for food, If they are not satisfied—then they murmur.

¹⁶And I—I sing of Thy strength, And I sing at morn of Thy kindness, For thou hast been a tower to me, And a refuge for me in a day of adversity.

¹⁷O my Strength, unto Thee I sing praise, For God is my tower, the God of my kindness!

Psalm 60