Psalm 57

New American Standard Bible

Prayer for Rescue from Persecutors.

For the music director; set to ^[a]Al-tashheth. A ^[b]Mikhtam of David, ^[c]when he fled from Saul in the cave.

57 Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me,
For my soul ^(A)takes refuge in You;
And in the ^(B)shadow of Your wings I will take refuge
Until destruction ^(C)passes by.
²I will cry to God Most High,
To God who ^(D)accomplishes all things for me.
³He will ^(E)send from heaven and save me;
He rebukes the one who ^[d]^(F)tramples upon me. Selah
God will send His ^[e]^(G)favor and His truth.

⁴My soul is among ^(H)lions;
I must lie among those who devour,
Among sons of mankind whose ^(I)teeth are spears and arrows,
And their ^(J)tongue is a sharp sword.
⁵^(K)Be exalted above the heavens, God;
May Your glory be above all the earth.
⁶They have prepared a ^(L)net for my steps;
My soul is ^(M)bowed down;
They ^(N)dug a pit before me;
They themselves have ^(O)fallen into the midst of it. Selah

⁷^(P)My ^(Q)heart is steadfast, God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!
⁸Awake, ^(R)my glory!
Awake, ^(S)harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
⁹^(T)I will praise You, Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the ^[f]nations.
¹⁰For Your ^(U)goodness is great to the heavens
And Your ^[g]truth to the clouds.
¹¹^(V)Be exalted above the heavens, God;
May Your glory be above all the earth.

Footnotes

Psalm 57 Title Lit Do Not Destroy
Psalm 57 Title Possibly, Epigrammatic Poem; or Atonement Psalm
Psalm 57 Title 1 Sam 22:1; 24:3
Psalm 57:3 Or snaps at
Psalm 57:3 Or faithfulness
Psalm 57:9 Lit peoples
Psalm 57:10 Or faithfulness

Psalm 142

New American Standard Bible

Prayer for Help in Trouble.

^[a]Maskil of David, when he was ^[b]in the cave. A Prayer.

142 I ^(A)cry out with my voice to the Lord;
With my voice I ^(B)implore the Lord for compassion.
²I ^(C)pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare my ^(D)trouble before Him.
³When ^(E)my spirit felt weak within me,
You knew my path.
In the way where I walk
They have ^(F)hidden a trap for me.
⁴Look to the right and see;
For there is ^(G)no one who regards me favorably;
^[c]There is no ^(H)escape for me;
^(I)No one cares for my soul.

⁵I cried out to You, Lord;
I said, “You are ^(J)my refuge,
My ^(K)portion in the ^(L)land of the living.
⁶^(M)Give Your attention to my cry,
For I have been ^(N)brought very low;
Rescue me from my persecutors,
For they are too ^(O)strong for me.
⁷^(P)Bring my soul out of prison,
So that I may give thanks to Your name;
The righteous will surround me,
For You will ^(Q)look after me.”