God Who Judges the Earth
To the choirmaster: according to hDo Not Destroy. A iMiktam1 of David.
58 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?2
Do you judge the children of man uprightly?
2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
your hands jdeal out violence on earth.
3 The wicked are kestranged from the womb;
they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
4 lThey have venom like the venom of a serpent,
like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
5 so that it mdoes not hear the voice of charmers
or of the cunning enchanter.
6 O God, nbreak the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
7 Let them ovanish like water that runs away;
when he paims his arrows, let them be blunted.
8 Let them be like the snail othat dissolves into slime,
like qthe stillborn child who never sees the sun.
9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of rthorns,
10 tThe righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
he will ubathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Mankind will say, “Surely there is va reward for the righteous;
surely there is a God who wjudges on earth.”
Deliver Me from My Enemies
To the choirmaster: according to xDo Not Destroy. A yMiktam1 of David, zwhen Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.
59 aDeliver me from my enemies, O my God;
bprotect me from those who crise up against me;
2 deliver me from dthose who work evil,
and save me from ebloodthirsty men.
3 For behold, they flie in wait for my life;
fierce men gstir up strife against me.
hFor no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.
iAwake, come to meet me, and see!
5 You, jLord 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 kcome back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
7 There they are, lbellowing with their mouths
with mswords in their lips—
8 But you, O Lord, olaugh at them;
you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my Strength, I will watch for you,
for you, O God, are pmy fortress.
10 qMy God in his steadfast love3 rwill meet me;
God will let me slook in triumph on my enemies.
11 Kill them not, lest my people forget;
make them totter4 by your power and tbring them down,
O Lord, our ushield!
12 For vthe 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 wconsume them in wrath;
consume them till they are no more,
that they may xknow that God rules over Jacob
to ythe ends of the earth. Selah
14 zEach evening they come back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
15 They awander 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 ba fortress
and ca refuge in dthe day of my distress.
17 O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,
for you, O God, bare my fortress,
ethe God who shows me steadfast love.
He Will Tread Down Our Foes
To the choirmaster: according to fShushan Eduth. A gMiktam1 of David; hfor instruction; when he istrove 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, jyou have rejected us, kbroken our defenses;
you have been angry; loh, restore us.
2 You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open;
mrepair its breaches, for it totters.
3 nYou have made your people see hard things;
4 You have set up qa banner for those who fear you,
that they may flee to it rfrom the bow.2 Selah
5 sThat your tbeloved ones may be delivered,
give salvation by your right hand and answer us!
6 God has spoken uin his holiness:3
“With exultation vI will divide up wShechem
and portion out the Vale of xSuccoth.
7 yGilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
Judah is my bscepter.
8 cMoab is my washbasin;
upon Edom I dcast my shoe;
9 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
fWho will lead me to Edom?
10 Have you not grejected us, O God?
You hdo not go forth, O God, with our armies.
11 Oh, grant us help against the foe,
for ivain is the salvation of man!
12 With God we shall jdo valiantly;
it is he who will ktread down our foes.
Lead Me to the Rock
To the choirmaster: with lstringed instruments. Of David.
61 Hear my cry, O God,
mlisten to my prayer;
2 from the end of the earth I call to you
when my heart is nfaint.
Lead me to othe rock
that is higher than I,
3 for you have been pmy refuge,
a strong qtower against the enemy.
4 Let me rdwell in your tent forever!
Let me take refuge under sthe 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 tProlong uthe life of the king;
may his years endure to all generations!
7 May he be enthroned forever before God;
appoint vsteadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!
8 So will I ever sing praises to your name,
as I wperform my vows day after day.
My Soul Waits for God Alone
To the choirmaster: according to xJeduthun. A Psalm of David.
62 For God alone ymy soul zwaits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
2 aHe alone is my rock and my salvation,
3 How long will all of you attack a man
to batter him,
like da leaning wall, a tottering fence?
4 They only plan to thrust him down from his ehigh position.
They take pleasure in falsehood.
fThey bless with their mouths,
but inwardly they curse. Selah
5 For God alone, O ymy soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
6 aHe only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God rests my gsalvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, hmy refuge is God.
8 iTrust in him at all times, O people;
jpour out your heart before him;
God is ha refuge for us. Selah
9 kThose of low estate are but a breath;
those of high estate lare a delusion;
in the balances they go up;
kthey are together lighter than a breath.
10 Put no trust in extortion;
mset no vain hopes on robbery;
nif riches increase, set not your heart on them.
11 oOnce God has spoken;
otwice have I heard this:
that ppower belongs to God,
12 and that to you, O Lord, qbelongs steadfast love.
For you will rrender to a man
according to his work.