Psalm 56
Lexham English Bible
Prayer for Deliverance and Confidence in God
For the music director, according to The Silent Dove of Distant Lands.
Of David. A miktam.
When the Philistines seized him in Gath.[a]
56 Be gracious to me, O God, because humankind has trampled me;
fighting all the day he oppresses me.
2 My enemies[b] trample all day,
because many are attacking me proudly.
3 When[c] I fear, I trust you.
4 God, whose word I praise,
God I trust; I do not fear.
What can mere flesh do to me?
5 All day they twist my words;
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They attack,[d] they hide, they watch my steps,[e]
as they lie in wait for my life.
7 Because of iniquity will they escape?
In anger cast down the peoples, O God.
8 You have kept count of my wonderings.
Put my tears in your bottle;
are they not in your book?
9 Then my enemies will turn back when[f] I call.[g]
This I know because[h] God is for me.
10 God, whose word I praise,
Yahweh, whose word I praise,
11 God I trust; I do not fear.
What can mere humankind do to me?
12 My vows to you, O God, are binding upon me.
I will pay thank offerings to you,
13 because you have delivered my soul from death.
Have you not kept my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of the living?
Footnotes
- Psalm 56:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
- Psalm 56:2 Or “lurking foes”
- Psalm 56:3 Literally “The day”
- Psalm 56:6 Or “they stir up strife”
- Psalm 56:6 Literally “heels”
- Psalm 56:9 Literally “in the day”
- Psalm 56:9 i.e., call on God
- Psalm 56:9 Or “that”
Psalm 56
American Standard Version
Supplication for deliverance, and grateful trust in God.
For the Chief Musician; set to [a]Jonath elem rehokim. A Psalm of David. Michtam; when the Philistines took him in Gath.
56 Be merciful unto me, O God; for man would swallow me up:
All the day long he fighting oppresseth me.
2 [b]Mine enemies would swallow me up all the day long;
For they are many that fight proudly against me.
3 What time I am afraid,
I will put my trust in thee.
4 In God (I will praise his word),
In God have I put my trust, I will not be afraid;
What can flesh do unto me?
5 All the day long they wrest my words:
All their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They gather themselves together, they hide themselves,
They mark my steps,
[c]Even as they have waited for my soul.
7 [d]Shall they escape by iniquity?
In anger cast down the peoples, O God.
8 Thou numberest my wanderings:
Put thou my tears into thy bottle;
Are they not in thy [e]book?
9 Then shall mine enemies turn back in the day that I call:
This I know, [f]that God is for me.
10 In God (I will praise his word),
In Jehovah (I will praise his word),
11 In God have I put my trust, I will not be afraid;
What can man do unto me?
12 Thy vows are upon me, O God:
I will render thank-offerings unto thee.
13 For thou hast delivered my soul from death:
Hast thou not delivered my feet from falling,
That I may walk before God
In the light of [g]the living?
Footnotes
- Psalm 56:1 That is, The silent dove of them that are afar off. Or, as otherwise read, The dove of the distant terebinths.
- Psalm 56:2 Or, They that lie in wait for me
- Psalm 56:6 Or, Inasmuch as
- Psalm 56:7 Or, They think to escape
- Psalm 56:8 Or, record
- Psalm 56:9 Or, for
- Psalm 56:13 Or, life
1 Samuel 21:10-12
Lexham English Bible
David Flees to Achish in Gath
10 So David got up and fled on that day from the presence of Saul, and he came to Achish the king of Gath. 11 The servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Is it not for this one that they sang in the dances, saying, ‘Saul killed his thousands, but David his ten thousands?’” 12 David took these words seriously[a] and felt severely threatened by[b] Achish the king of Gath.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Samuel 21:12 Literally “David put these words in his heart”
- 1 Samuel 21:12 Literally “he was very afraid from the face of”
1 Samuel 21:10-12
American Standard Version
10 And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying,
Saul hath slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands?
12 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
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