Psalm 56
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 56
Trust in God under Persecution
To the leader: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. Of David. A Miktam, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.
1 Be gracious to me, O God, for people trample on me;
all day long foes oppress me;
2 my enemies trample on me all day long,
for many fight against me.
O Most High,(A) 3 when I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.(B)
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I am not afraid;
what can flesh do to me?(C)
5 All day long they seek to injure my cause;
all their thoughts are against me for evil.(D)
6 They stir up strife; they lurk;
they watch my steps,
as they hoped to take my life.(E)
7 Do not deliver them for any reason;[a]
in wrath cast down the peoples, O God!(F)
8 You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your record?(G)
9 Then my enemies will retreat
in the day when I call.
This I know, that[b] God is for me.(H)
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I am not afraid.
What can a mere mortal do to me?
Psalm 57
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 57
Praise and Assurance under Persecution
To the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.
1 Be merciful to me, O God; be merciful to me,
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
until the destroying storms pass by.(A)
2 I cry to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.(B)
3 He will send from heaven and save me;
he will put to shame those who trample on me. Selah
God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.(C)
4 I lie down among lions
that greedily devour[a] human prey;
their teeth are spears and arrows,
their tongues sharp swords.(D)
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
Let your glory be over all the earth.(E)
6 They set a net for my steps;
my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my path,
but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah(F)
7 My heart is steadfast, O God;
my heart is steadfast.
I will sing and make melody.(G)
8 Awake, my soul!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn.(H)
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.(I)
10 For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens;
your faithfulness extends to the clouds.(J)
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
Let your glory be over all the earth.(K)
Footnotes
- 57.4 Cn: Heb are aflame for
Psalm 58
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 58
Prayer for Vengeance
To the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam.
1 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?
Do you judge people fairly?(A)
2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
your hands deal out violence on earth.(B)
3 The wicked go astray from the womb;
they err from their birth, speaking lies.(C)
4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
like the deaf adder that stops its ear,(D)
5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers
or of the cunning enchanter.(E)
6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!(F)
7 Let them vanish like water that runs away;
like grass let them be trodden down[a] and wither.(G)
8 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,
like the untimely birth that never sees the sun.(H)
9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,
whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!(I)
Matthew 4:1-11
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Testing of Jesus
4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was famished.(A) 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”(B) 4 But he answered, “It is written,
‘One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”(C)
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple,(D) 6 saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ”(E)
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”(F)
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, 9 and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.’ ”(G)
11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.(H)
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Psalm 64
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 64
Prayer for Protection from Enemies
To the leader. A Psalm of David.
1 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
preserve my life from the dread enemy.(A)
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
from the scheming of evildoers,(B)
3 who whet their tongues like swords,
who aim bitter words like arrows,(C)
4 shooting from ambush at the blameless;
they shoot suddenly and without fear.(D)
5 They hold fast to their evil purpose;
they talk of laying snares secretly,
thinking, “Who can see us?[a](E)
6 Who can search out our crimes?[b]
We have thought out a cunningly conceived plot.”
For the human heart and mind are deep.(F)
7 But God will shoot his arrow at them;
they will be wounded suddenly.
8 Because of their tongue he will bring them to ruin;[c]
all who see them will shake with horror.(G)
9 Then everyone will fear;
they will tell what God has brought about
and ponder what he has done.(H)
10 Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord
and take refuge in him.
Let all the upright in heart glory.(I)
Psalm 65
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 65
Thanksgiving for Earth’s Bounty
To the leader. A Psalm of David. A Song.
1 Praise is due to you,
O God, in Zion,
and to you shall vows be performed,(A)
2 O you who answer prayer!
To you all flesh shall come.(B)
3 When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
you forgive our transgressions.(C)
4 Happy are those whom you choose and bring near
to live in your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
your holy temple.(D)
5 By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
O God of our salvation;
you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas.(E)
6 By your[a] strength you established the mountains;
you are girded with might.(F)
7 You silence the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples.(G)
8 Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.
9 You visit the earth and water it;
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide the people with grain,
for so you have prepared it.(H)
10 You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow;
the hills gird themselves with joy;(I)
13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks;
the valleys deck themselves with grain;
they shout and sing together for joy.(J)
Footnotes
- 65.6 Gk Jerome: Heb his
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.