Psalm 60

Prayer in Difficult Times

For the choir director: according to “The Lily of Testimony.”(A) A Miktam of David for teaching. When he fought with Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and struck Edom in Salt Valley, killing twelve thousand.(B)

God, you have rejected us;
you have broken us down;
you have been angry. Restore us![a](C)
You have shaken the land and split it open.
Heal its fissures, for it shudders.(D)
You have made your people suffer hardship;
you have given us wine to drink
that made us stagger.(E)
You have given a signal flag to those who fear you,
so that they can flee before the archers.[b](F)Selah
Save with your right hand, and answer me,
so that those you love may be rescued.(G)

God has spoken in his sanctuary:[c]
“I will celebrate!
I will divide up Shechem.(H)
I will apportion the Valley of Succoth.(I)
Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine,
and Ephraim is my helmet;(J)
Judah is my scepter.(K)
Moab is my washbasin.(L)
I throw my sandal on Edom;(M)
I shout in triumph over Philistia.”(N)

Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?(O)
10 God, haven’t you rejected us?
God, you do not march out with our armies.(P)
11 Give us aid against the foe,
for human help is worthless.(Q)
12 With God we will perform valiantly;(R)
he will trample our foes.(S)

Footnotes

  1. 60:1 Or Turn back to us
  2. 60:4 Or can rally before the archers, or can rally because of the truth
  3. 60:6 Or has promised by his holy nature

Psalm 60

For the worship leader. A prayer[a] of David after his victory over the Arameans, Joab’s return, and the striking down of 12,000 Edomites in the valley of Salt. A song for instruction to the tune “A Lily Reminds Us.[b]

This is a communal lament recalling David’s battles with Zobah and Naharaim from Aram (Syria) and Joab’s victory over the Edomites (2 Samuel 8).

God, You have turned away from us;
    You have shattered us into a million tiny pieces;
    You have boiled with anger.
    Now put us back together, and refresh us with Your mercy.
You have made the earth shake; You have cracked it open effortlessly.
    Heal the fissures in the earth, for it is unsteady.
You have caused Your people to suffer;
    You have provided us with wine that makes us stagger.

You have unfurled a banner for those who revere You,
    a signal to gather in safety out of the enemy’s reach.

[pause][c]

So that Your treasured ones may be saved,
    rescue us with Your right hand, and answer our pleas!

God’s voice has been heard in His holy sanctuary:
    “I will celebrate; I will allocate Shechem
    and the Succoth Valley to My people.
Gilead belongs to Me, and so does Manasseh;
    Ephraim is the helmet that protects My head;
    Judah is the scepter through which I rule;
Moab is the washpot in which I rinse My feet.
    I will throw My shoe over Edom in conquest;
    prepare for My victory, Philistia. Cry out because of Me!”

But who will take me into the fortified city?
    Who will lead me into Edom?
10 Have You not turned Your back on us, O God?
    Will You stay away and not accompany our armies, O God?
11 Help us against our enemy; we need Your help!
    It’s useless to trust in the hand of man for liberation.
12 Only through God can we be successful.
    It is God alone who will defeat our enemies and bring us victory!

Footnotes

  1. 60:title Hebrew, miktam, meaning is uncertain.
  2. 60:title Hebrew, shushan eduth, meaning is uncertain.
  3. 60:4 Literally, selah, likely a musical direction from a Hebrew root meaning “to lift up”