Psalm 56
Legacy Standard Bible
In God I Trust, I Shall Not Be Afraid
For the choir director. According to [a]Jonath Elem Rehokim. A [b]Mikhtam of David. [c]When the Philistines seized him in Gath.
56 Be gracious to me, O God, for man has [d](A)trampled upon me;
All day long, an attacker (B)oppresses me.
2 My foes have [e](C)trampled upon me all day long,
For many (D)attack me proudly.
3 [f]When I am (E)afraid,
[g]I will (F)trust in You.
4 (G)In God, whose word I praise,
In God I trust;
I shall not be afraid.
(H)What can mere [h]man do to me?
5 All day long they [i](I)distort my words;
All their [j](J)thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They [k](K)attack, they lurk,
They (L)watch my heels,
As they have (M)hoped to take my [l]life.
7 On account of their wickedness, (N)will they have an escape?
In anger, (O)bring down the peoples, O God!
8 You (P)have taken account of my wanderings;
Put my (Q)tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in (R)Your book?
9 Then my enemies will (S)turn back (T)in the day when I call;
This I know, [m]that (U)God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
In Yahweh, whose word I praise,
11 In God I [n]trust, I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 Your (V)vows are binding upon me, O God;
I will [o]fulfill thank offerings to You.
13 [p]For You have (W)delivered my soul from death,
Indeed (X)my feet from stumbling,
So that I may (Y)walk before God
In the (Z)light of the [q]living.
Footnotes
- Psalm 56 Title Or The silent dove of those who are far off, The dove of the distant terebinths
- Psalm 56 Title Possibly Epigrammatic Poem, Atonement Psalm
- Psalm 56 Title 1 Sam 21:10, 11
- Psalm 56:1 Or snapped at
- Psalm 56:2 Or snapped at
- Psalm 56:3 Lit In the day
- Psalm 56:3 Or I am one who puts
- Psalm 56:4 Lit flesh
- Psalm 56:5 Or trouble my affairs
- Psalm 56:5 Or purposes
- Psalm 56:6 Or stir up strife
- Psalm 56:6 Lit soul
- Psalm 56:9 Or because
- Psalm 56:11 Or trust without fear
- Psalm 56:12 Lit pay
- Psalm 56:13 Or Have You not delivered
- Psalm 56:13 Or life
Psalm 56
Evangelical Heritage Version
Psalm 56
When I Am Afraid
Heading
For the choir director. “A Dove on Distant Oaks.”[a]
By David. A miktam.[b]
When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.[c]
The Enemies
1 Be merciful to me, O God, for a man pants as he pursues me.[d]
All day long an attacker presses against me.
2 Those who spy on me pant as they pursue me all day long.
Yes, many are attacking me boldly.[e]
David’s Trust
3 On the day when I am afraid, I will trust in you.
4 In God I praise his word.
In God I trust. I will not fear.
What can flesh do to me?
The Enemies
5 All day long they hurt my cause.[f]
All their thoughts against me are evil.
6 They gather together. They hide.
They try to trip me by grabbing my heels
while they wait to take my life.
David’s Trust
7 Because of their wickedness do not let them escape.[g]
In your anger bring down the peoples, O God.
8 You keep a record of my tossing and turning.[h]
Keep my tears in your bottle.
Aren’t they all listed in your book?
9 Then my enemies will turn back on the day when I call.
This is how I will know that God is for me.
10 In God I praise a word.[i]
In the Lord I praise a word.
11 In God I trust. I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
David’s Promise
12 My vows to you are binding, O God.
I will complete my thank offerings to you,
13 because you have delivered my life from death.
Have you not delivered my feet from stumbling
so I can walk before God in the light of life?
Footnotes
- Psalm 56:1 This may be the name of the tune. The translation reads the Hebrew word alm as a word which means oaks or terebinths. The standard Hebrew text reads it as a word for silent. This would result in the translation silent dove, distant ones.
- Psalm 56:1 A miktam is a type of song. The meaning is uncertain. It may mean a golden psalm or a choice piece or a psalm inscribed on a tablet. Miktams include Psalms 57–60.
- Psalm 56:1 See 1 Samuel 21.
- Psalm 56:1 Or hotly pursues me. Or the verb may be a homonym that means tramples me.
- Psalm 56:2 Some take the word translated boldly as a name of God that means Exalted One. If this is correct, the word may belong with the next verse.
- Psalm 56:5 Or they twist my words
- Psalm 56:7 The Hebrew reads because of wickedness, deliverance to them. This does not make sense in the context. The translation assumes there was an accidental omission of a negative. Another way to handle the problem is to make the phrase a question: because of their wickedness, will they escape?
- Psalm 56:8 Or wandering
- Psalm 56:10 This cryptic expression is a literal translation.
1 Samuel 21:10-12
Legacy Standard Bible
David Flees to Gath
10 Then David arose and fled that day from Saul and went to (A)Achish king of Gath. 11 But the (B)servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? (C)Did they not sing of this one as they danced, saying,
‘Saul has struck his thousands,
And David his ten thousands’?”
12 And David (D)took these words [a]to heart and greatly feared Achish king of Gath.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Samuel 21:12 Lit in his
1 Samuel 21:10-12
Evangelical Heritage Version
David Among the Philistines
10 David quickly fled from Saul that day and went to Achish king of Gath. 11 The officials of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Didn’t they dance and sing songs about him, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”
12 David took those words to heart, so he was very afraid of Achish king of Gath.
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