Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options Listen to Psalm 54-56

Psalm 54-56
New American Standard Bible 1995

Prayer for Defense against Enemies.

For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A [a]Maskil of David, [b]when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “Is not David hiding himself among us?”

54 Save me, O God, by (A)Your name,
And [c]vindicate me by (B)Your power.
2 (C)Hear my prayer, O God;
(D)Give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers have (E)risen against me
And (F)violent men have (G)sought my [d]life;
They have (H)not set God before them. [e]Selah.

4 Behold, (I)God is my helper;
The Lord is [f]the (J)sustainer of my soul.
5 [g]He will (K)recompense the evil to [h]my foes;
[i](L)Destroy them (M)in Your [j]faithfulness.

6 [k](N)Willingly I will sacrifice to You;
I will give (O)thanks to Your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7 For [l]He has (P)delivered me from all [m]trouble,
And my eye has (Q)looked with satisfaction upon my enemies.

Prayer for the Destruction of the Treacherous.

For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A [n]Maskil of David.

55 (R)Give ear to my prayer, O God;
And (S)do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
2 Give (T)heed to me and answer me;
I am restless in my (U)complaint and [o](V)am surely distracted,
3 Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the (W)pressure of the wicked;
For they (X)bring down [p]trouble upon me
And in anger they (Y)bear a grudge against me.

4 My (Z)heart is in anguish within me,
And the terrors of (AA)death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and (AB)trembling come upon me,
And [q](AC)horror has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and [r](AD)be at rest.
7 “Behold, I would wander far away,
I would (AE)lodge in the wilderness. [s]Selah.
8 “I would hasten to my place of refuge
From the (AF)stormy wind and tempest.”

9 [t]Confuse, O Lord, (AG)divide their tongues,
For I have seen (AH)violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around her upon her walls,
And iniquity and mischief are in her midst.
11 (AI)Destruction is in her midst;
(AJ)Oppression and deceit do not depart from her [u]streets.

12 For it is (AK)not an enemy who reproaches me,
Then I could bear it;
Nor is it one who hates me who (AL)has exalted himself against me,
Then I could hide myself from him.
13 But it is you, a man [v]my equal,
My (AM)companion and my [w](AN)familiar friend;
14 We who had sweet [x]fellowship together
(AO)Walked in the house of God in the throng.
15 Let [y]death come (AP)deceitfully upon them;
Let them (AQ)go down alive to [z]Sheol,
For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.

16 As for me, I shall (AR)call upon God,
And the Lord will save me.
17 (AS)Evening and (AT)morning and at (AU)noon, I will complain and murmur,
And He will hear my voice.
18 He will (AV)redeem my soul in peace [aa]from the battle which is against me,
For they are (AW)many who strive with me.
19 God will (AX)hear and [ab]answer them—
Even the one (AY)who [ac]sits enthroned from of old— Selah.
With whom there [ad]is no change,
And who (AZ)do not fear God.
20 He has put forth his hands against (BA)those who were at peace with him;
He has [ae](BB)violated his covenant.
21 His [af]speech was (BC)smoother than butter,
But his heart was war;
His words were (BD)softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn (BE)swords.

22 (BF)Cast [ag]your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;
(BG)He will never allow the righteous to [ah](BH)be shaken.
23 But You, O God, will bring them down to the [ai](BI)pit of destruction;
(BJ)Men of bloodshed and deceit will (BK)not live out half their days.
But I will (BL)trust in You.

Supplication for Deliverance and Grateful Trust in God.

For the choir director; according to [aj]Jonath elem rehokim. A [ak]Mikhtam of David, [al]when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

56 Be gracious to me, O God, for man has [am](BM)trampled upon me;
[an]Fighting all day long he (BN)oppresses me.
2 My foes have [ao](BO)trampled upon me all day long,
For [ap]they are many who (BP)fight proudly against me.
3 [aq]When I am (BQ)afraid,
[ar]I will (BR)put my trust in You.
4 (BS)In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not be afraid.
(BT)What can mere [as]man do to me?
5 All day long they [at](BU)distort my words;
All their [au](BV)thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They [av](BW)attack, they lurk,
They (BX)watch my [aw]steps,
As they have (BY)waited to take my [ax]life.
7 Because of wickedness, [ay](BZ)cast them forth,
In anger (CA)put down the peoples, O God!

8 You (CB)have taken account of my wanderings;
Put my (CC)tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in (CD)Your book?
9 Then my enemies will (CE)turn back (CF)in the day when I call;
This I know, [az]that (CG)God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
In the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 In God I have put my [ba]trust, I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 Your (CH)vows are binding upon me, O God;
I will render thank offerings to You.
13 For You have (CI)delivered my soul from death,
[bb]Indeed (CJ)my feet from stumbling,
So that I may (CK)walk before God
In the (CL)light of the [bc]living.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 54:1 Possibly Contemplative, or Didactic, or Skillful Psalm
  2. Psalm 54:1 1 Sam 23:19; 26:1
  3. Psalm 54:1 Lit judge
  4. Psalm 54:3 Or soul
  5. Psalm 54:3 Selah may mean: Pause, Crescendo or Musical interlude
  6. Psalm 54:4 Lit as those who sustain
  7. Psalm 54:5 Lit The evil will return
  8. Psalm 54:5 Or those who lie in wait for me
  9. Psalm 54:5 Or Put to silence
  10. Psalm 54:5 Or truth
  11. Psalm 54:6 Or With a freewill offering
  12. Psalm 54:7 Or it; i.e. His name
  13. Psalm 54:7 Or distress
  14. Psalm 55:1 Possibly Contemplative, or Didactic, or Skillful Psalm
  15. Psalm 55:2 Or I must moan
  16. Psalm 55:3 Or wickedness
  17. Psalm 55:5 Lit shuddering
  18. Psalm 55:6 Lit settle down
  19. Psalm 55:7 Selah may mean: Pause, Crescendo or Musical interlude
  20. Psalm 55:9 Lit Swallow up
  21. Psalm 55:11 Or plaza
  22. Psalm 55:13 Lit according to my valuation
  23. Psalm 55:13 Or acquaintance
  24. Psalm 55:14 Lit counsel; or intimacy
  25. Psalm 55:15 Another reading is desolations be upon them
  26. Psalm 55:15 I.e. the nether world
  27. Psalm 55:18 Or so that none may approach me
  28. Psalm 55:19 Or afflict
  29. Psalm 55:19 Or abides from
  30. Psalm 55:19 Lit are no changes
  31. Psalm 55:20 Lit profaned
  32. Psalm 55:21 Lit mouth
  33. Psalm 55:22 Or what He has given you
  34. Psalm 55:22 Or totter
  35. Psalm 55:23 Or lowest pit
  36. Psalm 56:1 Or The silent dove of those who are far off, or, The dove of the distant terebinths
  37. Psalm 56:1 Possibly Epigrammatic Poem, or Atonement Psalm
  38. Psalm 56:1 1 Sam 21:10, 11
  39. Psalm 56:1 Or snapped at
  40. Psalm 56:1 Or A fighting man
  41. Psalm 56:2 Or snapped at
  42. Psalm 56:2 Or many are fighting
  43. Psalm 56:3 Lit In the day
  44. Psalm 56:3 Or I am one who puts
  45. Psalm 56:4 Lit flesh
  46. Psalm 56:5 Or trouble my affairs
  47. Psalm 56:5 Or purposes
  48. Psalm 56:6 Or stir up strife
  49. Psalm 56:6 Lit heels
  50. Psalm 56:6 Lit soul
  51. Psalm 56:7 Or will they have escape?
  52. Psalm 56:9 Or because
  53. Psalm 56:11 Or trust without fear
  54. Psalm 56:13 Or have You not delivered
  55. Psalm 56:13 Or life
Next
Psalm 53
Psalm 57
Next
dropdown
New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

New American Standard Bible is made available by The Lockman Foundation