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(A)A Prayer for Protection from Enemies[a]

54 Save me by your power, O God;
    set me free by your might!
Hear my prayer, O God;
    listen to my words!
Proud people are coming to attack me;
    cruel people are trying to kill me—
    those who do not care about God.

But God is my helper.
    The Lord is my defender.
May God use their own evil to punish my enemies.
    He will destroy them because he is faithful.

I will gladly offer you a sacrifice, O Lord;
    I will give you thanks
    because you are good.
You have rescued me from all my troubles,
    and I have seen my enemies defeated.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 54:1 HEBREW TITLE: A poem by David, after the men from Ziph went to Saul and told him that David was hiding in their territory.

Psalm 54

Prayer for Vindication

To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “David is in hiding among us.”

Save me, O God, by your name,
    and vindicate me by your might.(A)
Hear my prayer, O God;
    give ear to the words of my mouth.(B)

For the insolent have risen against me;
    the ruthless seek my life;
    they do not set God before them. Selah(C)

But surely, God is my helper;
    the Lord is the upholder of[a] my life.(D)
He will repay my enemies for their evil.
    In your faithfulness, put an end to them.(E)

With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
    I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.(F)
For he has delivered me from every trouble,
    and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.(G)

Footnotes

  1. 54.4 Gk Syr Jerome: Heb is of those who uphold or is with those who uphold

54 (0) For the leader. With stringed instruments. A maskil of David, when the Zifim came and told Sha’ul, “David is hiding with us”:

(1) God, deliver me by your name;
in your power, vindicate me.
(2) God, hear my prayer;
listen to the words from my mouth.
(3) For foreigners are rising against me,
violent men are seeking my life;
they give no thought to God. (Selah)

(4) But God is helping me;
Adonai is my support.
(5) May he repay the evil
to those who are lying in wait for me.
In your faithfulness, destroy them!
(6) Then I will generously sacrifice to you;
I will praise your name, Adonai,
because it is good,
(7) because he rescued me from all trouble,
and my eyes look with triumph at my enemies.

54 1-2 God, for your sake, help me!
    Use your influence to clear me.
Listen, God—I’m desperate.
    Don’t be too busy to hear me.

Outlaws are out to get me,
    hit men are trying to kill me.
Nothing will stop them;
    God means nothing to them.

4-5 Oh, look! God’s right here helping!
    God’s on my side,
Evil is looping back on my enemies.
    Don’t let up! Finish them off!

6-7 I’m ready now to worship, so ready.
    I thank you, God—you’re so good.
You got me out of every scrape,
    and I saw my enemies get it.