Psalm 57
Contemporary English Version
(For the music leader. To the tune “Don't Destroy.”[a] A special psalm by David when he was in the cave while running from Saul.)
Praise and Trust in Times of Trouble
1 (A) God Most High, have pity on me!
Have mercy. I run to you
for safety.
In the shadow of your wings,
I seek protection
till danger dies down.
2 I pray to you, my protector.
3 You will send help from heaven
and save me,
but you will bring trouble
on my attackers.
You are faithful,
and you can be trusted.
4 My enemies are fierce,
much worse than lions!
They have spears and arrows
instead of teeth,
and they have sharp swords
instead of tongues.
5 May you, my God, be honored
above the heavens;
may your glory be seen
everywhere on earth.
6 (B) Enemies set traps for my feet
and struck me down.
They dug a pit in my path,
but fell in it themselves.
7 I am faithful to you,
and you can trust me.
I will sing and play music
for you, my God.
8 I feel wide awake!
I will wake up my harp
and wake up the sun.
9 I will praise you, Lord,
for everyone to hear,
and I will sing hymns to you
in every nation.
10 Your love reaches higher
than the heavens;
your loyalty extends
beyond the clouds.
11 May you, my God, be honored
above the heavens;
may your glory be seen
everywhere on earth.
Footnotes
- Psalm 57 Don't Destroy: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Psalm 57
New King James Version
Prayer for Safety from Enemies(A)
To the Chief Musician. Set to [a]“Do Not Destroy.” A Michtam of David (B)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;
(C)And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,
(D)Until these calamities have passed by.
2 I will cry out to God Most High,
To God (E)who performs all things for me.
3 (F)He shall send from heaven and save me;
He reproaches the one who [b]would swallow me up. Selah
God (G)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,
(H)Whose teeth are spears and arrows,
And their tongue a sharp sword.
5 (I)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
6 (J)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 (K)My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and give praise.
8 Awake, (L)my glory!
Awake, lute and harp!
I will awaken the dawn.
9 (M)I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing to You among the [c]nations.
10 (N)For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens,
And Your truth unto the clouds.
11 (O)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
Footnotes
- Psalm 57:1 Heb. Al Tashcheth
- Psalm 57:3 snaps at or hounds me, or crushes me
- Psalm 57:9 Gentiles
Psalm 57
Legacy Standard Bible
Let Your Glory Be Above All the Earth
For the choir director. [a]Al-tashheth. Of David. A [b]Mikhtam. [c]When he fled from Saul in the cave.
57 Be gracious to me, O 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.
2 I will call to God Most High,
To God who (D)accomplishes all things for me.
3 He will (E)send from heaven and save me;
He reproaches him who [d](F)tramples upon me. [e]Selah.
God will send His (G)lovingkindness and His [f]truth.
4 My soul is among (H)lions;
I am lying down among those who breathe forth fire,
Sons of men whose (I)teeth are spears and arrows
And their (J)tongue a sharp sword.
5 (K)Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
6 They have [g]set 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 set, O God, my heart is set;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!
8 Awake, (R)my glory!
Awake, (S)harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
9 (T)I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the [h]nations.
10 For Your (U)lovingkindness is great to the heavens
And Your [i]truth to the skies.
11 (V)Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
Footnotes
- Psalm 57 Title Lit Do Not Destroy
- Psalm 57 Title Possibly Epigrammatic Poem, Atonement Psalm
- Psalm 57 Title 1 Sam 22:1; 24:3
- Psalm 57:3 Or snaps at
- Psalm 57:3 Selah may mean Pause, Crescendo, Musical Interlude
- Psalm 57:3 Or faithfulness
- Psalm 57:6 Or spread
- Psalm 57:9 Lit peoples
- Psalm 57:10 Or faithfulness
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.

