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Psalm 55-59
New King James Version
Psalm 55-59
New King James Version
Trust in God Concerning the Treachery of Friends
To the Chief Musician. With [a]stringed instruments. A [b]Contemplation of David.
55 Give ear to my prayer, O God,
And do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
2 Attend to me, and hear me;
I (A)am[c] restless in my complaint, and moan noisily,
3 Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the oppression of the wicked;
(B)For they bring down trouble upon me,
And in wrath they hate me.
4 (C)My heart is severely pained within me,
And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me,
And horror has overwhelmed me.
6 So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
7 Indeed, I would wander far off,
And remain in the wilderness. Selah
8 I would hasten my escape
From the windy storm and tempest.”
9 Destroy, O Lord, and divide their [d]tongues,
For I have seen (D)violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around it on its walls;
(E)Iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it.
11 Destruction is in its midst;
(F)Oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets.
12 (G)For it is not an enemy who reproaches me;
Then I could bear it.
Nor is it one who hates me who has (H)exalted himself against me;
Then I could hide from him.
13 But it was you, a man my equal,
(I)My companion and my acquaintance.
14 We took sweet counsel together,
And (J)walked to the house of God in the throng.
15 Let death seize them;
Let them (K)go down alive into [e]hell,
For wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.
16 As for me, I will call upon God,
And the Lord shall save me.
17 (L)Evening and morning and at noon
I will pray, and cry aloud,
And He shall hear my voice.
18 He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me,
For (M)there were many against me.
19 God will hear, and afflict them,
(N)Even He who abides from of old. Selah
Because they do not change,
Therefore they do not fear God.
20 He has (O)put forth his hands against those who (P)were at peace with him;
He has broken his [f]covenant.
21 (Q)The words of his mouth were smoother than butter,
But war was in his heart;
His words were softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn swords.
22 (R)Cast your burden on the Lord,
And (S)He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be [g]moved.
23 But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction;
(T)Bloodthirsty and deceitful men (U)shall not live out half their days;
But I will trust in You.
Prayer for Relief from Tormentors
To the Chief Musician. Set to [h]“The Silent Dove in Distant Lands.” A Michtam of David when the (V)Philistines captured him in Gath.
56 Be (W)merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up;
Fighting all day he oppresses me.
2 My enemies would (X)hound me all day,
For there are many who fight against me, O Most High.
3 Whenever I am afraid,
I will trust in You.
4 In God (I will praise His word),
In God I have put my trust;
(Y)I will not fear.
What can flesh do to me?
5 All day they twist my words;
All their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They gather together,
They hide, they mark my steps,
When they lie in wait for my life.
7 Shall they escape by iniquity?
In anger cast down the peoples, O God!
8 You number my wanderings;
Put my tears into Your bottle;
(Z)Are they not in Your book?
9 When I cry out to You,
Then my enemies will turn back;
This I know, because (AA)God is for me.
10 In God (I will praise His word),
In the Lord (I will praise His word),
11 In God I have put my trust;
I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God;
I will render praises to You,
13 (AB)For You have delivered my soul from death.
Have You not kept my feet from falling,
That I may walk before God
In the (AC)light of the living?
Prayer for Safety from Enemies(AD)
To the Chief Musician. Set to [i]“Do Not Destroy.” A Michtam of David (AE)when he fled from Saul into the cave.
57 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For my soul trusts in You;
(AF)And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,
(AG)Until these calamities have passed by.
2 I will cry out to God Most High,
To God (AH)who performs all things for me.
3 (AI)He shall send from heaven and save me;
He reproaches the one who [j]would swallow me up. Selah
God (AJ)shall send forth His mercy and His truth.
4 My soul is among lions;
I lie among the sons of men
Who are set on fire,
(AK)Whose teeth are spears and arrows,
And their tongue a sharp sword.
5 (AL)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
6 (AM)They have prepared a net for my steps;
My soul is bowed down;
They have dug a pit before me;
Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah
7 (AN)My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and give praise.
8 Awake, (AO)my glory!
Awake, lute and harp!
I will awaken the dawn.
9 (AP)I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing to You among the [k]nations.
10 (AQ)For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens,
And Your truth unto the clouds.
11 (AR)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
The Just Judgment of the Wicked
To the Chief Musician. Set to [l]“Do Not Destroy.” A Michtam of David.
58 Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones?
Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men?
2 No, in heart you work wickedness;
You weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.
3 (AS)The wicked are estranged from the womb;
They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
4 (AT)Their poison is like the poison of a serpent;
They are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear,
5 Which will not (AU)heed the voice of charmers,
Charming ever so skillfully.
6 (AV)Break[m] their teeth in their mouth, O God!
Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
7 (AW)Let them flow away as waters which run continually;
When he bends his bow,
Let his arrows be as if cut in pieces.
8 Let them be like a snail which melts away as it goes,
(AX)Like a stillborn child of a woman, that they may not see the sun.
9 Before your (AY)pots can feel the burning thorns,
He shall take them away (AZ)as with a whirlwind,
As in His living and burning wrath.
10 The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the (BA)vengeance;
(BB)He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,
11 (BC)So that men will say,
“Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
Surely He is God who (BD)judges in the earth.”
The Assured Judgment of the Wicked
To the Chief Musician. Set to [n]“Do Not Destroy.” A Michtam of David (BE)when Saul sent men, and they watched the house in order to kill him.
59 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
[o]Defend me from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,
And save me from bloodthirsty men.
3 For look, they lie in wait for my life;
(BF)The mighty gather against me,
Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord.
4 They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine.
(BG)Awake to help me, and behold!
5 You therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel,
Awake to punish all the [p]nations;
Do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah
6 (BH)At evening they return,
They growl like a dog,
And go all around the city.
7 Indeed, they belch with their mouth;
(BI)Swords are in their lips;
For they say, (BJ)“Who hears?”
8 But (BK)You, O Lord, shall laugh at them;
You shall have all the [q]nations in derision.
9 I will wait for You, O You [r]his Strength;
(BL)For God is my [s]defense.
10 [t]My God of mercy shall (BM)come to meet me;
God shall let (BN)me see my desire on my enemies.
11 Do not slay them, lest my people forget;
Scatter them by Your power,
And bring them down,
O Lord our shield.
12 (BO)For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips,
Let them even be taken in their pride,
And for the cursing and lying which they speak.
13 (BP)Consume them in wrath, consume them,
That they may not be;
And (BQ)let them know that God rules in Jacob
To the ends of the earth. Selah
14 And (BR)at evening they return,
They growl like a dog,
And go all around the city.
15 They (BS)wander up and down for food,
And [u]howl if they are not satisfied.
16 But I will sing of Your power;
Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;
For You have been my defense
And refuge in the day of my trouble.
17 To You, (BT)O my Strength, I will sing praises;
For God is my defense,
My God of mercy.
Footnotes
- Psalm 55:1 Heb. neginoth
- Psalm 55:1 Heb. Maschil
- Psalm 55:2 wander
- Psalm 55:9 speech, their counsel
- Psalm 55:15 Or Sheol
- Psalm 55:20 treaty
- Psalm 55:22 shaken
- Psalm 56:1 Heb. Jonath Elem Rechokim
- Psalm 57:1 Heb. Al Tashcheth
- Psalm 57:3 snaps at or hounds me, or crushes me
- Psalm 57:9 Gentiles
- Psalm 58:1 Heb. Al Tashcheth
- Psalm 58:6 Break away
- Psalm 59:1 Heb. Al Tashcheth
- Psalm 59:1 Lit. Set me on high
- Psalm 59:5 Gentiles
- Psalm 59:8 Gentiles
- Psalm 59:9 So with MT, Syr.; some Heb. mss., LXX, Tg., Vg. my Strength
- Psalm 59:9 Lit. fortress
- Psalm 59:10 So with Qr.; some Heb. mss., LXX, Vg. My God, His mercy; Kt., some Heb. mss., Tg. O God, my mercy; Syr. O God, Your mercy
- Psalm 59:15 So with LXX, Vg.; MT, Syr., Tg. spend the night
Psalm 55-59
New International Version
Psalm 55-59
New International Version
Psalm 55[a]
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil[b] of David.
1 Listen to my prayer, O God,
do not ignore my plea;(A)
2 hear me and answer me.(B)
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught(C)
3 because of what my enemy is saying,
because of the threats of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering on me(D)
and assail(E) me in their anger.(F)
4 My heart is in anguish(G) within me;
the terrors(H) of death have fallen on me.
5 Fear and trembling(I) have beset me;
horror(J) has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
7 I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;[c](K)
8 I would hurry to my place of shelter,(L)
far from the tempest and storm.(M)”
9 Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,(N)
for I see violence and strife(O) in the city.(P)
10 Day and night they prowl(Q) about on its walls;
malice and abuse are within it.
11 Destructive forces(R) are at work in the city;
threats and lies(S) never leave its streets.
12 If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
I could hide.
13 But it is you, a man like myself,
my companion, my close friend,(T)
14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship(U)
at the house of God,(V)
as we walked about
among the worshipers.
15 Let death take my enemies by surprise;(W)
let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,(X)
for evil finds lodging among them.
16 As for me, I call to God,
and the Lord saves me.
17 Evening,(Y) morning(Z) and noon(AA)
I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice.
18 He rescues me unharmed
from the battle waged against me,
even though many oppose me.
19 God, who is enthroned from of old,(AB)
who does not change—
he will hear(AC) them and humble them,
because they have no fear of God.(AD)
20 My companion attacks his friends;(AE)
he violates his covenant.(AF)
21 His talk is smooth as butter,(AG)
yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,(AH)
yet they are drawn swords.(AI)
22 Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;(AJ)
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.(AK)
23 But you, God, will bring down the wicked
into the pit(AL) of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful(AM)
will not live out half their days.(AN)
But as for me, I trust in you.(AO)
Psalm 56[d]
For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam.[e] When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.
1 Be merciful to me,(AP) my God,
for my enemies are in hot pursuit;(AQ)
all day long they press their attack.(AR)
2 My adversaries pursue me all day long;(AS)
in their pride many are attacking me.(AT)
3 When I am afraid,(AU) I put my trust in you.(AV)
4 In God, whose word I praise—(AW)
in God I trust and am not afraid.(AX)
What can mere mortals do to me?(AY)
5 All day long they twist my words;(AZ)
all their schemes are for my ruin.
6 They conspire,(BA) they lurk,
they watch my steps,(BB)
hoping to take my life.(BC)
7 Because of their wickedness do not[f] let them escape;(BD)
in your anger, God, bring the nations down.(BE)
8 Record my misery;
list my tears on your scroll[g](BF)—
are they not in your record?(BG)
9 Then my enemies will turn back(BH)
when I call for help.(BI)
By this I will know that God is for me.(BJ)
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise—
11 in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 I am under vows(BK) to you, my God;
I will present my thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered me from death(BL)
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.(BM)
Psalm 57[h](BN)
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.[i] When he had fled from Saul into the cave.(BO)
1 Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge.(BP)
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings(BQ)
until the disaster has passed.(BR)
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who vindicates me.(BS)
3 He sends from heaven and saves me,(BT)
rebuking those who hotly pursue me—[j](BU)
God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.(BV)
4 I am in the midst of lions;(BW)
I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.(BX)
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.(BY)
6 They spread a net for my feet(BZ)—
I was bowed down(CA) in distress.
They dug a pit(CB) in my path—
but they have fallen into it themselves.(CC)
7 My heart, O God, is steadfast,
my heart is steadfast;(CD)
I will sing and make music.
8 Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!(CE)
I will awaken the dawn.
9 I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.(CF)
Psalm 58[k]
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.[l]
1 Do you rulers indeed speak justly?(CI)
Do you judge people with equity?
2 No, in your heart you devise injustice,(CJ)
and your hands mete out violence on the earth.(CK)
3 Even from birth the wicked go astray;
from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.
4 Their venom is like the venom of a snake,(CL)
like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,
5 that will not heed(CM) the tune of the charmer,(CN)
however skillful the enchanter may be.
6 Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;(CO)
Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions!(CP)
7 Let them vanish like water that flows away;(CQ)
when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.(CR)
8 May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,(CS)
like a stillborn child(CT) that never sees the sun.
9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns(CU)—
whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away.[m](CV)
10 The righteous will be glad(CW) when they are avenged,(CX)
when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.(CY)
11 Then people will say,
“Surely the righteous still are rewarded;(CZ)
surely there is a God who judges the earth.”(DA)
Psalm 59[n]
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.[o] When Saul had sent men to watch David’s house(DB) in order to kill him.
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O God;(DC)
be my fortress against those who are attacking me.(DD)
2 Deliver me from evildoers(DE)
and save me from those who are after my blood.(DF)
3 See how they lie in wait for me!
Fierce men conspire(DG) against me
for no offense or sin of mine, Lord.
4 I have done no wrong,(DH) yet they are ready to attack me.(DI)
Arise to help me; look on my plight!(DJ)
5 You, Lord God Almighty,
you who are the God of Israel,(DK)
rouse yourself(DL) to punish all the nations;(DM)
show no mercy to wicked traitors.[p](DN)
6 They return at evening,
snarling like dogs,(DO)
and prowl about the city.
7 See what they spew from their mouths(DP)—
the words from their lips are sharp as swords,(DQ)
and they think, “Who can hear us?”(DR)
8 But you laugh at them, Lord;(DS)
you scoff at all those nations.(DT)
9 You are my strength,(DU) I watch for you;
you, God, are my fortress,(DV)
10 my God on whom I can rely.
God will go before me
and will let me gloat over those who slander me.
11 But do not kill them, Lord our shield,[q](DW)
or my people will forget.(DX)
In your might uproot them
and bring them down.(DY)
12 For the sins of their mouths,(DZ)
for the words of their lips,(EA)
let them be caught in their pride.(EB)
For the curses and lies they utter,
13 consume them in your wrath,
consume them till they are no more.(EC)
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
that God rules over Jacob.(ED)
14 They return at evening,
snarling like dogs,
and prowl about the city.
15 They wander about for food(EE)
and howl if not satisfied.
16 But I will sing(EF) of your strength,(EG)
in the morning(EH) I will sing of your love;(EI)
for you are my fortress,(EJ)
my refuge in times of trouble.(EK)
17 You are my strength, I sing praise to you;
you, God, are my fortress,
my God on whom I can rely.(EL)
Footnotes
- Psalm 55:1 In Hebrew texts 55:1-23 is numbered 55:2-24.
- Psalm 55:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 55:7 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and in the middle of verse 19.
- Psalm 56:1 In Hebrew texts 56:1-13 is numbered 56:2-14.
- Psalm 56:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 56:7 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text does not have do not.
- Psalm 56:8 Or misery; / put my tears in your wineskin
- Psalm 57:1 In Hebrew texts 57:1-11 is numbered 57:2-12.
- Psalm 57:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 57:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 6.
- Psalm 58:1 In Hebrew texts 58:1-11 is numbered 58:2-12.
- Psalm 58:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 58:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
- Psalm 59:1 In Hebrew texts 59:1-17 is numbered 59:2-18.
- Psalm 59:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 59:5 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 13.
- Psalm 59:11 Or sovereign
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.