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
King James Version
57 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.
2 I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.
3 He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.
4 My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
5 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.
6 They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.
7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.
8 Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.
9 I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.
10 For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.
11 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.
Psalm 57
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Psalm 57[a]
Confident Prayer for Deliverance
1 For the director. Do not destroy.[b] A miktam of David, when he fled from Saul into a cave.(A)
I
2 Have mercy on me, God,
have mercy on me.
In you I seek refuge.
In the shadow of your wings[c] I seek refuge
till harm pass by.(B)
3 I call to God Most High,
to God who provides for me.
4 May God send help from heaven to save me,
shame those who trample upon me.
May God send fidelity and mercy.
Selah
5 I must lie down in the midst of lions
hungry for human prey.(C)
Their teeth are spears and arrows;
their tongue, a sharpened sword.(D)
6 Be exalted over the heavens, God;
may your glory appear above all the earth.(E)
II
7 They have set a trap for my feet;
my soul is bowed down;
They have dug a pit before me.
May they fall into it themselves!(F)
Selah
8 My heart is steadfast, God,
my heart is steadfast.
I will sing and chant praise.(G)
9 Awake, my soul;
awake, lyre and harp!
I will wake the dawn.[d](H)
10 I will praise you among the peoples, Lord;
I will chant your praise among the nations.(I)
11 For your mercy towers to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.(J)
12 Exalt yourself over the heavens, God;
may your glory appear above all the earth.
Footnotes
- Psalm 57 Each of the two equal strophes contains a prayer for rescue from enemies, accompanied by joyful trust in God (Ps 57:2–5, 7–11). The refrain prays that God be manifested as saving (Ps 57:6, 12). Ps 108 is nearly identical to part of this Psalm (cf. Ps 57:8–11, Ps 108:2–6).
- 57:1 Do not destroy: probably the title of the melody to which the Psalm was to be sung.
- 57:2 The shadow of your wings: probably refers to the wings of the cherubim (powerful winged animals) whose wings spread over the ark in the inner chamber of the Temple (1 Kgs 6:23–28).
- 57:9 I will wake the dawn: by a bold figure the psalmist imagines the sound of music and singing will waken a new day.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.