Psalms 57-59

Psalm 57

¹To the Overseer. -- ‘Destroy not.' -- A secret treasure of David, in his fleeing from the face of Saul into a cave. Favour me, O God, favour me, For in Thee is my soul trusting, And in the shadow of Thy wings I trust, Until the calamities pass over.

²I call to God Most High, To God who is perfecting for me.

³He sendeth from the heaven, and saveth me, He reproached -- who is panting after me. Selah. God sendeth forth His kindness and His truth.

⁴My soul is in the midst of lions, I lie down among flames -- sons of men, Their teeth are a spear and arrows, And their tongue a sharp sword.

⁵Be Thou exalted above the heavens, O God, Above all the earth Thine honour.

⁶A net they have prepared for my steps, Bowed down hath my soul, They have digged before me a pit, They have fallen into its midst. Selah.

⁷Prepared is my heart, O God, Prepared is my heart, I sing and praise.

⁸Awake, mine honour, awake, psaltery and harp, I awake the morning dawn.

⁹I thank Thee among the peoples, O Lord, I praise Thee among the nations.

¹⁰For great unto the heavens is Thy kindness, And unto the clouds Thy truth.

¹¹Be thou exalted above the heavens, O God. Above all the earth Thine honour!

Psalm 58

¹To the Overseer. -- ‘Destroy not.' -- A secret treasure, by David. Is it true, O dumb one, righteously ye speak? Uprightly ye judge, O sons of men?

²Even in heart ye work iniquities, In the land the violence of your hands ye ponder.

³The wicked have been estranged from the womb, They have erred from the belly, speaking lies.

⁴Their poison is as poison of a serpent, As a deaf asp shutting its ear,

⁵Which hearkeneth not to the voice of whisperers, A charmer of charms most skilful.

⁶O God, break their teeth in their mouth, The jaw-teeth of young lions break down, O Jehovah.

⁷They are melted as waters, They go up and down for themselves, His arrow proceedeth as they cut themselves off.

⁸As a snail that melteth he goeth on, As an untimely birth of a woman, They have not seen the sun.

⁹Before your pots discern the bramble, As well the raw as the heated He whirleth away.

¹⁰The righteous rejoiceth that he hath seen vengeance, His steps he washeth in the blood of the wicked.

¹¹And man saith: ‘Surely fruit is for the righteous: Surely there is a God judging in the earth!'

Psalm 59

¹To the Overseer. -- ‘Destroy not,' by David. -- A secret treasure, in Saul's sending, and they watch the house to put him to death. Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God, From my withstanders set me on high.

²Deliver me from workers of iniquity, And from men of blood save me.

³For, lo, they laid wait for my soul, Assembled against me are strong ones, Not my transgression nor my sin, O Jehovah.

⁴Without punishment they run and prepare themselves, Stir up to meet me, and see.

⁵And Thou, Jehovah, God of Hosts, God of Israel, Awake to inspect all the nations. Favour not any treacherous dealers of iniquity. Selah.

⁶They turn back at evening, They make a noise like a dog, And go round about the city.

⁷Lo, they belch out with their mouths, Swords are in their lips, for ‘Who heareth?'

⁸And Thou, O Jehovah dost laugh at them, Thou dost mock at all the nations.

⁹O my Strength, unto Thee I take heed, For God is my tower -- the God of my kindness.

¹⁰God doth go before me, He causeth me to look on mine enemies.

¹¹Slay them not, lest my people forget, Shake them by Thy strength, And bring them down, O Lord our shield.

¹²The sin of their mouth is a word of their lips, And they are captured in their pride, And from the curse and lying they recount.

¹³Consume in fury, consume and they are not, And they know that God is ruling in Jacob, To the ends of the earth. Selah.

¹⁴And they turn back at evening, They make a noise like a dog, And they go round about the city.

¹⁵They -- they wander for food, If they are not satisfied -- then they murmur.

¹⁶And I -- I sing of Thy strength, And I sing at morn of Thy kindness, For thou hast been a tower to me, And a refuge for me in a day of adversity.

¹⁷O my Strength, unto Thee I sing praise, For God is my tower, the God of my kindness!