did not make God his refuge,
but trusted in his great wealth,
relied upon his mischief.”
10But I am like a thriving olive tree in God’s house;
I trust in the faithfulness of God forever and ever.
11I praise You forever, for You have acted;
c-I declare that Your name is good-c
in the presence of Your faithful ones.
53 aFor the leader; on mahalath.b A maskil of David.
2The benighted man thinks,
c-“God does not care.”-c
Man’s wrongdoing is corrupt and loathsome;
no one does good.
3God looks down from heaven on mankind
to find a man of understanding,
a man mindful of God.
4Everyone is dross,
altogether foul;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
5Are they so witless, those evildoers,
who devour my people as they devour food,
and do not invoke God?
6There they will be seized with fright
—d-never was there such a fright—
for God has scattered the bones of your besiegers;
you have put them to shame,-d
for God has rejected them.
7O that the deliverance of Israel might come from Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of His people,
Jacob will exult, Israel will rejoice.
54 For the leader; with instrumental music. A maskil of David, 2when the Ziphites came and told Saul, “Know, David is in hiding among us.”a
3O God, deliver me by Your name;
by Your power vindicate me.
4O God, hear my prayer;
give ear to the words of my mouth.
5For strangers have risen against me,
and ruthless men seek my life;
they are unmindful of God.
Selah.
6See, God is my helper;
the LORD is my support.
7He will repay the evil of my watchful foes;
by Your faithfulness, destroy them!
8Then I will offer You a freewill sacrifice;
I will praise Your name, LORD, for it is good,
9for it has saved me from my foes,
and let me gaze triumphant upon my enemies.
55 For the leader; with instrumental music. A maskil of David.
2Give ear, O God, to my prayer;
do not ignore my plea;
3pay heed to me and answer me.
I am tossed about, complaining and moaning
4at the clamor of the enemy,
because of the oppression of the wicked;
for they bring evil upon me
and furiously harass me.
5My heart is convulsed within me;
terrors of death assail me.
6Fear and trembling invade me;
I am clothed with horror.
7I said,
“O that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and find rest;
8surely, I would flee far off;
I would lodge in the wilderness;
Selah.
9I would soon find me a refuge
from the sweeping wind,
from the tempest.”
10O LORD, confound their speech, confuse it!
For I see lawlessness and strife in the city;
11day and night they make their rounds on its walls;
evil and mischief are inside it.
12Malice is within it;
fraud and deceit never leave its square.
13It is not an enemy who reviles me
—I could bear that;
it is not my foe who vaunts himself against me
—I could hide from him;
14but it is you, my equal,
my companion, my friend;
15sweet was our fellowship;
we walked together in God’s house.
16Let Him incite death against them;
may they go down alive into Sheol!
For where they dwell,
there evil is.
17As for me, I call to God;
the LORD will deliver me.
18Evening, morning, and noon,
I complain and moan,
and He hears my voice.
19He redeems me unharmed
from the battle against me;
a-it is as though many are on my side.-a
20God who has reigned from the first,
who will have no successor,
hears and humbles those who have no fear of God.
Selah.
21Heb harmed his ally,
he broke his pact;
22his talk was smoother than butter,
yet his mind was on war;
his words were more soothing than oil,
yet they were drawn swords.
23Cast your burden on the LORD and He will sustain you;
He will never let the righteous man collapse.
24For You, O God, will bring them down to the nethermost
Pit—
those murderous, treacherous men;
they shall not live out half their days;
but I trust in You.
56 For the leader; a- on jonath elem rehokim.-a Of David. A michtam; when the Philistines seized him in Gath.
2Have mercy on me, O God,
for men persecute me;
all day long my adversary oppresses me.
3My watchful foes persecute me all day long;
many are my adversaries, O Exalted One.
4When I am afraid, I trust in You,
5in God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust;
I am not afraid;
what can mortalsb do to me?
6All day long a-they cause me grief in my affairs,-a
they plan only evil against me.
7They plot, they lie in ambush;
they watch my every move, hoping for my death.
8Cast them out for their evil;
subdue peoples in Your anger, O God.
9a-You keep count of my wanderings;
put my tears into Your flask,
into Your record.-a
10Then my enemies will retreat when I call on You;
this I know, that God is for me.
11In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise,
12in God I trust;
I am not afraid;
what can man do to me?
13I must pay my vows to You, O God;
I will render thank offerings to You.
14For You have saved me from death,
my foot from stumbling,
that I may walk before God in the light of life.
57 For the leader; a-al tashheth.-a Of David. A michtam; when he fled from Saul into a cave.
2Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me,
for I seek refuge in You,
I seek refuge in the shadow of Your wings,
until danger passes.
3I call to God Most High,
to God who is good to me.
4He will reach down from heaven and deliver me:
God will send down His steadfast love;
my persecutor reviles.
Selah.
5As for me, I lie down among man-eating lions
whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongue is a sharp sword.
6Exalt Yourself over the heavens, O God,
let Your glory be over all the earth!
7They prepared a net for my feet b-to ensnare me;-b
they dug a pit for me,
but they fell into it.
Selah.
8cMy heart is firm, O God;
my heart is firm;
I will sing, I will chant a hymn.
9Awake, O my soul!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will wake the dawn.
10I will praise You among the peoples, O LORD;
I will sing a hymn to You among the nations;
11for Your faithfulness is as high as heaven;
Your steadfastness reaches to the sky.
12Exalt Yourself over the heavens, O God,
let Your glory be over all the earth!
58 For the leader; al tashheth. Of David. A michtam.
2a-O mighty ones,-a do you really decree what is just?
Do you judge mankind with equity?
3In your minds you devise wrongdoing in the land;
a-with your hands you deal out lawlessness.-a
4The wicked are defiant from birth;
the liars go astray from the womb.
5Their venom is like that of a snake,
a deaf viper that stops its ears
6so as not to hear the voice of charmers
or the expert mutterer of spells.
7O God, smash their teeth in their mouth;
shatter the fangs of lions, O LORD;
8let them melt, let them vanish like water;
let Him aim His arrows that they be cut down;
9a-like a snail that melts away as it moves;-a
like a woman’s stillbirth, may they never see the sun!
10Before a-the thorns grow into a bramble,
may He whirl them away alive in fury.-a
11The righteous man will rejoice when he sees revenge;
he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.
12Men will say,
“There is, then, a reward for the righteous;
there is, indeed, divine justice on earth.”
59 For the leader; al tashheth. Of David. A michtam; when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to put him to death.a
2Save me from my enemies, O my God;
secure me against my assailants.
3Save me from evildoers;
deliver me from murderers.
4For see, they lie in wait for me;
fierce men plot against me
for no offense of mine,
for no transgression, O LORD;
5for no guilt of mine
do they rush to array themselves against me.
Look, rouse Yourself on my behalf!
6You, O LORD God of hosts,
God of Israel,
bestir Yourself to bring all nations to account;
have no mercy on any treacherous villain.
Selah.
7They come each evening growling like dogs,
roaming the city.
8They rave with their mouths,
b-sharp words-b are on their lips;
[they think,] “Who hears?”
9But You, O LORD, laugh at them;
You mock all the nations.
10O myc strength, I wait for You;
for God is my haven.
11My faithful God will come to aid me;
God will let me gloat over my watchful foes.
12Do not kill them lest my people be unmindful;
with Your power make wanderers of them;
bring them low, O our shield, the Lord,
13because of their sinful mouths,
the words on their lips.
Let them be trapped by their pride,
and by the imprecations and lies they utter.
14In Your fury put an end to them;
put an end to them that they be no more;
that it may be known to the ends of the earth
that God does rule over Jacob.
Selah.
15They come each evening growling like dogs,
roaming the city.
16They wander in search of food;
and whine if they are not satisfied.
17But I will sing of Your strength,
extol each morning Your faithfulness;
for You have been my haven,
a refuge in time of trouble.
18O my strength, to You I sing hymns;
for God is my haven, my faithful God.
60 For the leader; on a-shushan eduth.-a A michtam of David (to be taught), 2when he fought with Aram-Naharaim and Aram-Zobah, and Joab returned and defeated Edom—[an army] of twelve thousand men— in the Valley of Salt.b
3O God, You have rejected us,
You have made a breach in us;
You have been angry;
restore us!
4You have made the land quake;
You have torn it open.
Mend its fissures,
for it is collapsing.
5You have made Your people suffer hardship;
c-You have given us wine that makes us ree!.-c
6a-Give those who fear You because of Your truth
a banner for rallying.-a
Selah.
7dThat those whom You love might be rescued,
deliver with Your right hand and answer me.
8God promised e-in His sanctuary-e
that I would exultingly divide up Shechem,
and measure the Valley of Sukkoth;
9Gilead and Manasseh would be mine,
Ephraim my chief stronghold,
Judah my scepter;
10Moab would be my washbasin;
on Edom I would cast my shoe;
acclaim me, O Philistia!
11Would that I were brought to the bastion!
Would that I were led to Edom!
12But You have rejected us, O God;
God, You do not march with our armies.
13Grant us Your aid against the foe,
for the help of man is worthless.
14With God we shall triumph;
He will trample our foes.
61 For the leader;