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Psalm 54

For the Music Director. With stringed instruments. A Contemplative Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is David not hiding among us?”

O God, save me by Your name,
    and judge me by Your strength.
O God, hear my prayer;
    give ear to the words of my mouth.

For strangers rise up against me,
    and formidable adversaries seek my life;
    they do not set God before them. Selah

God is my helper;
    the Lord is with those who support my life.

He will repay my enemies for their evil.
    In Your faithfulness, destroy them.

I will sacrifice a freewill offering to You;
    I will give thanks to Your name, O Lord, for it is good.
For He has delivered me out of all trouble;
    and my eye has looked down on my enemies.

Prayer for defence against enemies.

For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. Maschil of David; when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us?

54 Save me, O God, by thy name,
And judge me in thy might.
Hear my prayer, O God;
Give ear to the words of my mouth.
For strangers are risen up against me,
And violent men have sought after my soul:
They have not set God before them. Selah
Behold, God is my helper:
The Lord is [a]of them that uphold my soul.
[b]He will requite the evil unto [c]mine enemies:
Destroy thou them in thy truth.
With a freewill-offering will I sacrifice unto thee:
I will give thanks unto thy name, O Jehovah, for it is good.
For he hath delivered me out of all trouble;
And mine eye hath seen my desire upon mine enemies.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 54:4 Or, with
  2. Psalm 54:5 Another reading is, The evil shall return.
  3. Psalm 54:5 Or, them that lie in wait for me

19 Then the Ziphites went up to Saul to Gibeah saying, “Is David not hiding himself with us in strongholds in Horesh, on the hill of Hakilah, which is south of Jeshimon? 20 Now, O king, come down according to all the desire of your soul to come down. And our part will be to deliver him into the king’s hand.”

21 Saul said, “Blessed are you of the Lord. For you have had compassion on me. 22 Please go, make sure again. Investigate and see the place where his foot rests, and who has seen him there. For it has been said to me that he is very cunning. 23 So look and learn about all the hiding places where he hides himself. And come to me with certainty, and I will go with you. And it will be that if he is in the land, then I will track him throughout all the clans of Judah.”

24 So they arose and went to Ziph before Saul. But David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon, in the desert south of Jeshimon. 25 Saul and his men went to seek him, but they told David. Therefore he came 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.

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19 Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in the strongholds in [a]the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of [b]the desert? 20 Now therefore, O king, come down, according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him up into the king’s hand. 21 And Saul said, Blessed be ye of Jehovah; for ye have had compassion on me. 22 Go, I pray you, make yet more sure, and know and see his place where his [c]haunt is, and who hath seen him there; for it is told me that he dealeth very subtly. 23 See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking-places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me [d]of a certainty, and I will go with you: and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out among all the [e]thousands of Judah.

24 And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah on the south of [f]the desert. 25 And Saul and his men went to seek him. And they told David: wherefore he came down to the rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 23:19 Or, Horesh
  2. 1 Samuel 23:19 Or, Jeshimon
  3. 1 Samuel 23:22 Hebrew foot.
  4. 1 Samuel 23:23 Or, with the certainty. Or, to a set place
  5. 1 Samuel 23:23 Or, families
  6. 1 Samuel 23:24 Or, Jeshimon