Psalm 56
Good News Translation
(A)A Prayer of Trust in God[a]
56 Be merciful to me, O God,
because I am under attack;
my enemies persecute me all the time.
2 All day long my opponents attack me.
There are so many who fight against me.
3 When I am afraid, O Lord Almighty,
I put my trust in you.
4 I trust in God and am not afraid;
I praise him for what he has promised.
What can a mere human being do to me?
5 My enemies make trouble for me all day long;
they are always thinking up some way to hurt me!
6 They gather in hiding places
and watch everything I do,
hoping to kill me.
7 Punish[b] them, O God, for their evil;
defeat those people in your anger!
8 You know how troubled I am;
you have kept a record of my tears.
Aren't they listed in your book?
9 The day I call to you,
my enemies will be turned back.
I know this: God[c] is on my side—
10 the Lord, whose promises I praise.
11 In him I trust, and I will not be afraid.
What can a mere human being do to me?
12 O God, I will offer you what I have promised;
I will give you my offering of thanksgiving,
13 because you have rescued me from death
and kept me from defeat.
And so I walk in the presence of God,
in the light that shines on the living.
Footnotes
- Psalm 56:1 HEBREW TITLE: A psalm by David, after the Philistines captured him in Gath.
- Psalm 56:7 Probable text Punish; Hebrew Save.
- Psalm 56:9 I know this: God; or Because I know that God.
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 56
Complete Jewish Bible
56 (0) For the leader. Set to “The Silent Dove in the Distance.” By David; a mikhtam, when the P’lishtim captured him in Gat:
2 (1) Show me favor, God;
for people are trampling me down —
all day they fight and press on me.
3 (2) Those who are lying in wait for me
would trample on me all day.
For those fighting against me are many.
Most High, 4 (3) when I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
5 (4) In God — I praise his word —
in God I trust; I have no fear;
what can human power do to me?
6 (5) All day long they twist my words;
their only thought is to harm me.
7 (6) They gather together and hide themselves,
spying on my movements, hoping to kill me.
8 (7) Because of their crime, they cannot escape;
in anger, God, strike down the peoples.
9 (8) You have kept count of my wanderings;
store my tears in your water-skin —
aren’t they already recorded in your book?
10 (9) Then my enemies will turn back
on the day when I call;
this I know: that God is for me.
11 (10) In God — I praise his word —
in Adonai — I praise his word —
12 (11) in God I trust; I have no fear;
what can mere humans do to me?
13 (12) God, I have made vows to you;
I will fulfill them with thank offerings to you.
14 (13) For you rescued me from death,
you kept my feet from stumbling,
so that I can walk in God’s presence,
in the light of life.
Psalm 56
The Message
56 1-4 Take my side, God—I’m getting kicked around,
stomped on every day.
Not a day goes by
but somebody beats me up;
They make it their duty
to beat me up.
When I get really afraid
I come to you in trust.
I’m proud to praise God;
fearless now, I trust in God.
What can mere mortals do?
5-6 They don’t let up—
they smear my reputation
and huddle to plot my collapse.
They gang up,
sneak together through the alleys
To take me by surprise,
wait their chance to get me.
7 Pay them back in evil!
Get angry, God!
Down with these people!
8 You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn
through the sleepless nights,
Each tear entered in your ledger,
each ache written in your book.
9 If my enemies run away,
turn tail when I yell at them,
Then I’ll know
that God is on my side.
10-11 I’m proud to praise God,
proud to praise God.
Fearless now, I trust in God;
what can mere mortals do to me?
12-13 God, you did everything you promised,
and I’m thanking you with all my heart.
You pulled me from the brink of death,
my feet from the cliff-edge of doom.
Now I stroll at leisure with God
in the sunlit fields of life.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
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.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson