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Psalm 59

Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies

To the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam, when Saul ordered his house to be watched in order to kill him.

Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
    protect me from those who rise up against me.(A)
Deliver me from those who work evil;
    from the bloodthirsty, save me.(B)

Even now they lie in wait for my life;
    the mighty stir up strife against me.
For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord,(C)
    for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.

Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!(D)
    You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel.
Awake to punish all the nations;
    spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah(E)

Each evening they come back
    howling like dogs
    and prowling about the city.(F)
There they are, bellowing with their mouths,
    with sharp words[a] on their lips,
    for “Who,” they think,[b] “will hear us?”(G)

But you laugh at them, O Lord;
    you hold all the nations in derision.(H)
O my strength, I will watch for you,
    for you, O God, are my fortress.(I)
10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me;
    my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.(J)

11 Do not kill them, or my people may forget;
    make them totter by your power and bring them down,
    O Lord, our shield.(K)
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,
    let them be trapped in their pride.
For the cursing and lies that they utter,(L)
13     consume them in wrath;
    consume them until they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
    that God rules over Jacob. Selah(M)

14 Each evening they come back
    howling like dogs
    and prowling about the city.(N)
15 They roam about for food
    and growl if they do not get their fill.

16 But I will sing of your might;
    I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been a fortress for me
    and a refuge in the day of my distress.(O)
17 O my strength, I will sing praises to you,
    for you, O God, are my fortress,
    the God who shows me steadfast love.(P)

Footnotes

  1. 59.7 Heb with swords
  2. 59.7 Heb lacks they think

Deliver Me from My Enemies

To the choirmaster: according to (A)Do Not Destroy. A (B)Miktam[a] of David, (C)when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.

59 (D)Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
    (E)protect me from those who (F)rise up against me;
deliver me from (G)those who work evil,
    and save me from (H)bloodthirsty men.

For behold, they (I)lie in wait for my life;
    fierce men (J)stir up strife against me.
(K)For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord,
    for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.
(L)Awake, come to meet me, and see!
    You, (M)Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel.
Rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
    spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah

Each evening they (N)come back,
    howling like dogs
    and prowling about the city.
There they are, (O)bellowing with their mouths
    with (P)swords in their lips—
    for (Q)“Who,” they think,[b] “will hear us?”

But you, O Lord, (R)laugh at them;
    you hold all the nations in derision.
O my Strength, I will watch for you,
    for you, O God, are (S)my fortress.
10 (T)My God in his steadfast love[c] (U)will meet me;
    God will let me (V)look in triumph on my enemies.

11 Kill them not, lest my people forget;
    make them totter[d] by your power and (W)bring them down,
    O Lord, our (X)shield!
12 For (Y)the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,
    let them be trapped in their pride.
For the cursing and lies that they utter,
13     (Z)consume them in wrath;
    consume them till they are no more,
that they may (AA)know that God rules over Jacob
    to (AB)the ends of the earth. Selah

14 (AC)Each evening they come back,
    howling like dogs
    and prowling about the city.
15 They (AD)wander about for food
    and growl if they do not get their fill.

16 But I will sing of your strength;
    I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been to me (AE)a fortress
    and (AF)a refuge in (AG)the day of my distress.
17 O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,
    for you, O God, (AH)are my fortress,
    (AI)the God who shows me steadfast love.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 59:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
  2. Psalm 59:7 Hebrew lacks they think
  3. Psalm 59:10 Or The God who shows me steadfast love
  4. Psalm 59:11 Or wander

11 Saul sent messengers to David’s house to keep watch over him, planning to kill him in the morning. David’s wife Michal told him, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” 12 So Michal let David down through the window; he fled away and escaped.(A) 13 Michal took an idol[a] and laid it on the bed; she put a net[b] of goats’ hair on its head and covered it with the clothes. 14 When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.”(B) 15 Then Saul sent the messengers to see David for themselves. He said, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.” 16 When the messengers came in, the idol[c] was in the bed, with the covering[d] of goats’ hair on its head. 17 Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go; why should I kill you?’ ”

David Joins Samuel in Ramah

18 Now David fled and escaped; he came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. He and Samuel went and settled at Naioth.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. 19.13 Heb the teraphim
  2. 19.13 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  3. 19.16 Heb the teraphim
  4. 19.16 Meaning of Heb uncertain

11 (A)Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, told him, “If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” 12 (B)So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped. 13 Michal took (C)an image[a] and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats' hair at its head and covered it with the clothes. 14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.” 15 Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.” 16 And when the messengers came in, behold, (D)the image was in the bed, with the pillow of goats' hair at its head. 17 Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me thus and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go. (E)Why should I kill you?’”

18 Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at (F)Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Naioth.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 19:13 Or a household god