Psalm 54

English Standard Version

The Lord Upholds My Life

To the choirmaster: with ^(A)stringed instruments. A Maskil^[a] of David, ^(B)when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?”

54 O God, save me by your ^(C)name,
and vindicate me by your might.
²O God, ^(D)hear my prayer;
give ear to the words of my mouth.

³^(E)For ^(F)strangers^[b] have risen against me;
ruthless men ^(G)seek my life;
they do not set God before themselves. Selah

⁴Behold, ^(H)God is my helper;
the Lord is the upholder of my life.
⁵He will return the evil to my enemies;
in your ^(I)faithfulness ^(J)put an end to them.

⁶With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, ^(K)for it is good.
⁷For he has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eye has ^(L)looked in triumph on my enemies.

Footnotes

Psalm 54:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
Psalm 54:3 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Targum insolent men (compare Psalm 86:14)

1 Samuel 23:19-25

English Standard Version

¹⁹^(A)Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of ^(B)Jeshimon? ²⁰Now come down, O king, according to all your heart's desire to come down, ^(C)and our part shall be to surrender him into the king's hand.” ²¹And Saul said, ^(D)“May you be blessed by the Lord, ^(E)for you have had compassion on me. ²²Go, make yet more sure. Know and see the place where his foot is, and who has seen him there, for it is told me that he is very cunning. ²³See therefore and take note of all the lurking places where he hides, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you. And if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.” ²⁴And they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.

Now David and his men were ^(F)in the wilderness of Maon, ^(G)in the Arabah to the south of ^(H)Jeshimon. ²⁵And Saul and his men went to seek him. And David was told, so he went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.

Read full chapter