Psalm 58-65
English Standard Version
God Who Judges the Earth
To the choirmaster: according to (A)Do Not Destroy. A (B)Miktam[a] of David.
58 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?[b]
Do you judge the children of man uprightly?
2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
your hands (C)deal out violence on earth.
3 The wicked are (D)estranged from the womb;
they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
4 (E)They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
5 so that it (F)does not hear the voice of charmers
or of the cunning enchanter.
6 O God, (G)break the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
7 Let them (H)vanish like water that runs away;
when he (I)aims his arrows, let them be blunted.
8 Let them be like the snail (J)that dissolves into slime,
like (K)the stillborn child who never sees the sun.
9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of (L)thorns,
whether green or ablaze, may he (M)sweep them away![c]
10 (N)The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
he will (O)bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Mankind will say, “Surely there is (P)a reward for the righteous;
surely there is a God who (Q)judges on earth.”
Deliver Me from My Enemies
To the choirmaster: according to (R)Do Not Destroy. A (S)Miktam[d] of David, (T)when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.
59 (U)Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
(V)protect me from those who (W)rise up against me;
2 deliver me from (X)those who work evil,
and save me from (Y)bloodthirsty men.
3 For behold, they (Z)lie in wait for my life;
fierce men (AA)stir up strife against me.
(AB)For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.
(AC)Awake, come to meet me, and see!
5 You, (AD)Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel.
Rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah
6 Each evening they (AE)come back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
7 There they are, (AF)bellowing with their mouths
with (AG)swords in their lips—
for (AH)“Who,” they think,[e] “will hear us?”
8 But you, O Lord, (AI)laugh at them;
you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my Strength, I will watch for you,
for you, O God, are (AJ)my fortress.
10 (AK)My God in his steadfast love[f] (AL)will meet me;
God will let me (AM)look in triumph on my enemies.
11 Kill them not, lest my people forget;
make them totter[g] by your power and (AN)bring them down,
O Lord, our (AO)shield!
12 For (AP)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 (AQ)consume them in wrath;
consume them till they are no more,
that they may (AR)know that God rules over Jacob
to (AS)the ends of the earth. Selah
14 (AT)Each evening they come back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
15 They (AU)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 (AV)a fortress
and (AW)a refuge in (AX)the day of my distress.
17 O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,
for you, O God, (AY)are my fortress,
(AZ)the God who shows me steadfast love.
He Will Tread Down Our Foes
To the choirmaster: according to (BA)Shushan Eduth. A (BB)Miktam[h] of David; (BC)for instruction; when he (BD)strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return struck down twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.
60 O God, (BE)you have rejected us, (BF)broken our defenses;
you have been angry; (BG)oh, restore us.
2 You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open;
(BH)repair its breaches, for it totters.
3 (BI)You have made your people see hard things;
(BJ)you have given us (BK)wine to drink that made us stagger.
4 You have set up (BL)a banner for those who fear you,
that they may flee to it (BM)from the bow.[i] Selah
5 (BN)That your (BO)beloved ones may be delivered,
give salvation by your right hand and answer us!
6 God has spoken (BP)in his holiness:[j]
“With exultation (BQ)I will divide up (BR)Shechem
and portion out the Vale of (BS)Succoth.
7 (BT)Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
(BU)Ephraim is (BV)my helmet;
Judah is my (BW)scepter.
8 (BX)Moab is my washbasin;
upon Edom I (BY)cast my shoe;
over (BZ)Philistia I shout in triumph.”[k]
9 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
(CA)Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Have you not (CB)rejected us, O God?
You (CC)do not go forth, O God, with our armies.
11 Oh, grant us help against the foe,
for (CD)vain is the salvation of man!
12 With God we shall (CE)do valiantly;
it is he who will (CF)tread down our foes.
Lead Me to the Rock
To the choirmaster: with (CG)stringed instruments. Of David.
61 Hear my cry, O God,
(CH)listen to my prayer;
2 from the end of the earth I call to you
when my heart is (CI)faint.
Lead me to (CJ)the rock
that is higher than I,
3 for you have been (CK)my refuge,
a strong (CL)tower against the enemy.
4 Let me (CM)dwell in your tent forever!
Let me take refuge under (CN)the shelter of your wings! Selah
5 For you, O God, have heard my vows;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
6 (CO)Prolong (CP)the life of the king;
may his years endure to all generations!
7 May he be enthroned forever before God;
appoint (CQ)steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!
8 So will I ever sing praises to your name,
as I (CR)perform my vows day after day.
My Soul Waits for God Alone
To the choirmaster: according to (CS)Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
62 For God alone (CT)my soul (CU)waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
2 (CV)He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my (CW)fortress; (CX)I shall not be greatly shaken.
3 How long will all of you attack a man
to batter him,
like (CY)a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
4 They only plan to thrust him down from his (CZ)high position.
They take pleasure in falsehood.
(DA)They bless with their mouths,
but inwardly they curse. Selah
5 For God alone, O (DB)my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
6 (DC)He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God rests my (DD)salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, (DE)my refuge is God.
8 (DF)Trust in him at all times, O people;
(DG)pour out your heart before him;
God is (DH)a refuge for us. Selah
9 (DI)Those of low estate are but a breath;
those of high estate (DJ)are a delusion;
in the balances they go up;
(DK)they are together lighter than a breath.
10 Put no trust in extortion;
(DL)set no vain hopes on robbery;
(DM)if riches increase, set not your heart on them.
11 (DN)Once God has spoken;
(DO)twice have I heard this:
that (DP)power belongs to God,
12 and that to you, O Lord, (DQ)belongs steadfast love.
For you will (DR)render to a man
according to his work.
My Soul Thirsts for You
A Psalm of David, (DS)when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
63 O God, you are my God; (DT)earnestly I seek you;
(DU)my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in (DV)a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding (DW)your power and glory.
3 Because your (DX)steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you (DY)as long as I live;
in your (DZ)name I will (EA)lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be (EB)satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
6 when I remember you (EC)upon my bed,
and meditate on you in (ED)the watches of the night;
7 for you have been my help,
and in (EE)the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
8 My soul (EF)clings to you;
your right hand (EG)upholds me.
9 But those who seek to destroy my life
(EH)shall go down into (EI)the depths of the earth;
10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword;
they shall be a portion for jackals.
11 But (EJ)the king shall rejoice in God;
all who (EK)swear by him shall exult,
(EL)for the mouths of (EM)liars will be stopped.
Hide Me from the Wicked
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
64 Hear my voice, O God, in my (EN)complaint;
preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
2 Hide me from (EO)the secret plots of the wicked,
from the throng of evildoers,
3 who (EP)whet their tongues like swords,
who (EQ)aim bitter words like arrows,
4 shooting from (ER)ambush at the blameless,
shooting at him suddenly and (ES)without fear.
5 They (ET)hold fast to their evil purpose;
they talk of (EU)laying snares secretly,
thinking, (EV)“Who can see them?”
6 They search out injustice,
saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.”
For (EW)the inward mind and heart of a man are deep.
7 (EX)But God shoots his arrow at them;
they are wounded suddenly.
8 They are brought to ruin, with their own (EY)tongues turned against them;
all who (EZ)see them will (FA)wag their heads.
9 Then all mankind (FB)fears;
they (FC)tell what God has brought about
and ponder what he has done.
10 Let (FD)the righteous one rejoice in the Lord
and (FE)take refuge in him!
Let all (FF)the upright in heart exult!
O God of Our Salvation
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song.
65 Praise (FG)is due to you,[l] O God, in Zion,
and to you shall (FH)vows be performed.
2 O you who (FI)hear prayer,
to you (FJ)shall all flesh come.
3 When (FK)iniquities prevail against me,
you (FL)atone for our transgressions.
4 (FM)Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
to (FN)dwell in your courts!
We shall be (FO)satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the holiness of your temple!
5 By (FP)awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
the hope of all (FQ)the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas;
6 the one who by his strength established the mountains,
being (FR)girded with might;
7 who (FS)stills the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
(FT)the tumult of the peoples,
8 so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.
9 You visit the earth and (FU)water it;[m]
you greatly enrich it;
(FV)the river of God is full of water;
(FW)you provide their grain,
for so you have prepared it.
10 You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with (FX)showers,
and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks (FY)overflow with abundance.
12 (FZ)The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills (GA)gird themselves with joy,
13 (GB)the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they (GC)shout and sing together for joy.
Footnotes
- Psalm 58:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
- Psalm 58:1 Or you mighty lords (by revocalization; Hebrew in silence)
- Psalm 58:9 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain
- Psalm 59:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
- Psalm 59:7 Hebrew lacks they think
- Psalm 59:10 Or The God who shows me steadfast love
- Psalm 59:11 Or wander
- Psalm 60:1 Probably musical or liturgical terms
- Psalm 60:4 Or that it may be displayed because of truth
- Psalm 60:6 Or sanctuary
- Psalm 60:8 Revocalization (compare Psalm 108:10); Masoretic Text over me, O Philistia, shout in triumph
- Psalm 65:1 Or Praise waits for you in silence
- Psalm 65:9 Or and make it overflow
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.