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Psalm 55-57
English Standard Version
Psalm 55-57
English Standard Version
Cast Your Burden on the Lord
To the choirmaster: with (A)stringed instruments. A Maskil[a] of David.
55 (B)Give ear to my prayer, O God,
and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!
2 Attend to me, and answer me;
I am restless (C)in my complaint and I (D)moan,
3 because of the noise of the enemy,
because of the oppression of the wicked.
For they (E)drop trouble upon me,
and in anger they bear a grudge against me.
4 My heart is in anguish within me;
(F)the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and trembling come upon me,
and (G)horror (H)overwhelms me.
6 And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;
7 (I)yes, I would wander far away;
I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
8 I would hurry to find a shelter
from (J)the raging wind and tempest.”
9 Destroy, O Lord, (K)divide their tongues;
for I see (L)violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around it
on its walls,
and (M)iniquity and trouble are within it;
11 ruin is in its midst;
(N)oppression and fraud
do not depart from its marketplace.
12 For it is not an enemy who taunts me—
then I could bear it;
it is not an adversary who (O)deals insolently with me—
then I could hide from him.
13 (P)But it is you, a man, my equal,
my companion, my familiar friend.
14 We used to take sweet counsel together;
within God's house we walked in (Q)the throng.
15 Let death steal over them;
let them go down to Sheol (R)alive;
for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.
16 But I call to God,
and the Lord will save me.
17 (S)Evening and (T)morning and at (U)noon
I (V)utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
18 He redeems my soul in safety
from the battle that I wage,
for (W)many are arrayed against me.
19 God will give ear and humble them,
he who is (X)enthroned from of old, Selah
because they do not (Y)change
and do not fear God.
20 My companion[b] (Z)stretched out his hand against his friends;
he violated his covenant.
21 His (AA)speech was (AB)smooth as butter,
yet war was in his heart;
his words were softer than oil,
yet they were (AC)drawn swords.
22 (AD)Cast your burden on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
(AE)he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.
23 But you, O God, (AF)will cast them down
into (AG)the pit of destruction;
men of (AH)blood and treachery
shall not (AI)live out half their days.
But I will (AJ)trust in you.
In God I Trust
To the choirmaster: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. A (AK)Miktam[c] of David, when the (AL)Philistines seized him in Gath.
56 (AM)Be gracious to me, O God, for man (AN)tramples on me;
all day long an attacker oppresses me;
2 my enemies trample on me all day long,
for many attack me proudly.
3 When I am afraid,
I (AO)put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; (AP)I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?
5 All day long they injure my cause;[d]
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They (AQ)stir up strife, they (AR)lurk;
they (AS)watch my steps,
as they have waited for my life.
7 For their crime will they escape?
(AT)In wrath (AU)cast down the peoples, O God!
8 You have kept count of my tossings;[e]
(AV)put my tears in your bottle.
(AW)Are they not in your book?
9 Then my enemies will turn back
(AX)in the day when I call.
This I know, that[f] (AY)God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; (AZ)I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 I must perform my (BA)vows to you, O God;
I will (BB)render thank offerings to you.
13 (BC)For you have delivered my soul from death,
yes, my feet from falling,
(BD)that I may walk before God
(BE)in the light of life.
Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth
To the choirmaster: according to (BF)Do Not Destroy. A (BG)Miktam[g] of David, when he fled from Saul, in (BH)the cave.
57 (BI)Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul (BJ)takes refuge;
in (BK)the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
(BL)till the storms of destruction pass by.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God who (BM)fulfills his purpose for me.
3 (BN)He will send from heaven and save me;
he will put to shame (BO)him who tramples on me. Selah
(BP)God will send out (BQ)his steadfast love and his faithfulness!
4 My soul is in the midst of (BR)lions;
I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose (BS)teeth are spears and arrows,
whose (BT)tongues are sharp swords.
5 (BU)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
6 They set (BV)a net for my steps;
my soul was (BW)bowed down.
They (BX)dug a pit in my way,
but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 (BY)My heart is (BZ)steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
8 (CA)Awake, (CB)my glory![h]
Awake, (CC)O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn!
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your (CD)steadfast love is great to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
11 (CE)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
Footnotes
- Psalm 55:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
- Psalm 55:20 Hebrew He
- Psalm 56:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
- Psalm 56:5 Or they twist my words
- Psalm 56:8 Or wanderings
- Psalm 56:9 Or because
- Psalm 57:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
- Psalm 57:8 Or my whole being
Psalm 55-57
New International Version
Psalm 55-57
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)
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.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.