Psalm 57-58

New Living Translation

¹ Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy!
    I look to you for protection.
I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings
    until the danger passes by.
² I cry out to God Most High,^[b]
    to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.
³ He will send help from heaven to rescue me,
    disgracing those who hound me. Interlude
My God will send forth his unfailing love and faithfulness.

⁴ I am surrounded by fierce lions
    who greedily devour human prey—
whose teeth pierce like spears and arrows,
    and whose tongues cut like swords.

⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens!
    May your glory shine over all the earth.

⁶ My enemies have set a trap for me.
    I am weary from distress.
They have dug a deep pit in my path,
    but they themselves have fallen into it. Interlude

⁷ My heart is confident in you, O God;
    my heart is confident.
    No wonder I can sing your praises!
⁸ Wake up, my heart!
    Wake up, O lyre and harp!
    I will wake the dawn with my song.
⁹ I will thank you, Lord, among all the people.
    I will sing your praises among the nations.
¹⁰ For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens.
    Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.
    May your glory shine over all the earth.

¹ Justice—do you rulers^[d] know the meaning of the word?
    Do you judge the people fairly?
² No! You plot injustice in your hearts.
    You spread violence throughout the land.
³ These wicked people are born sinners;
    even from birth they have lied and gone their own way.
⁴ They spit venom like deadly snakes;
    they are like cobras that refuse to listen,
⁵ ignoring the tunes of the snake charmers,
    no matter how skillfully they play.

⁶ Break off their fangs, O God!
    Smash the jaws of these lions, O Lord!
⁷ May they disappear like water into thirsty ground.
    Make their weapons useless in their hands.^[e]
8 May they be like snails that dissolve into slime,
    like a stillborn child who will never see the sun.
⁹ God will sweep them away, both young and old,
    faster than a pot heats over burning thorns.

¹⁰ The godly will rejoice when they see injustice avenged.
    They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.
¹¹ Then at last everyone will say,
    “There truly is a reward for those who live for God;
    surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth.”