Psalms 58:1--60:12

Psalm 58

For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; a prayer of David.

58:1 Do you rulers really pronounce just decisions?

Do you judge people fairly?

58:2 No! You plan how to do what is unjust;

you deal out violence in the earth.

58:3 The wicked turn aside from birth;

liars go astray as soon as they are born.

58:4 Their venom is like that of a snake,

like a deaf serpent that does not hear,

58:5 that does not respond to the magicians,

or to a skilled snake-charmer.

58:6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths!

Smash the jawbones of the lions, O Lord!

58:7 Let them disappear like water that flows away!

Let them wither like grass!

58:8 Let them be like a snail that melts away as it moves along!

Let them be like stillborn babies that never see the sun!

58:9 Before the kindling is even placed under your pots,

he will sweep it away along with both the raw and cooked meat.

58:10 The godly will rejoice when they see vengeance carried out;

they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.

58:11 Then observers will say,

“Yes indeed, the godly are rewarded!

Yes indeed, there is a God who judges in the earth!”

Psalm 59

For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; a prayer of David, written when Saul sent men to surround his house and murder him.

59:1 Deliver me from my enemies, my God!

Protect me from those who attack me!

59:2 Deliver me from evildoers!

Rescue me from violent men!

59:3 For look, they wait to ambush me;

powerful men stalk me,

but not because I have rebelled or sinned, O Lord.

59:4 Though I have done nothing wrong, they are anxious to attack.

Spring into action and help me! Take notice of me!

59:5 You, O Lord God, the invincible warrior, the God of Israel,

rouse yourself and punish all the nations!

Have no mercy on any treacherous evildoers! (Selah)

59:6 They return in the evening;

they growl like a dog

and prowl around outside the city.

59:7 Look, they hurl insults at me

and openly threaten to kill me,

for they say,

“Who hears?”

59:8 But you, O Lord, laugh in disgust at them;

you taunt all the nations.

59:9 You are my source of strength! I will wait for you!

For God is my refuge.

59:10 The God who loves me will help me;

God will enable me to triumph over my enemies.

59:11 Do not strike them dead suddenly,

because then my people might forget the lesson.

Use your power to make them homeless vagabonds and then bring them down,

O Lord who shields us!

59:12 They speak sinful words.

So let them be trapped by their own pride

and by the curses and lies they speak!

59:13 Angrily wipe them out! Wipe them out so they vanish!

Let them know that God rules

in Jacob and to the ends of the earth! (Selah)

59:14 They return in the evening;

they growl like a dog

and prowl around outside the city.

59:15 They wander around looking for something to eat;

they refuse to sleep until they are full.

59:16 As for me, I will sing about your strength;

I will praise your loyal love in the morning.

For you are my refuge

and my place of shelter when I face trouble.

59:17 You are my source of strength! I will sing praises to you!

For God is my refuge, the God who loves me.

Psalm 60

For the music director; according to the shushan-eduth style; a prayer of David written to instruct others. It was written when he fought against Aram Naharaim and Aram-Zobah. That was when Joab turned back and struck down 12,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

60:1 O God, you have rejected us.

You suddenly turned on us in your anger.

Please restore us!

60:2 You made the earth quake; you split it open.

Repair its breaches, for it is ready to fall.

60:3 You have made your people experience hard times;

you have made us drink intoxicating wine.

60:4 You have given your loyal followers a rallying flag,

so that they might seek safety from the bow. (Selah)

60:5 Deliver by your power and answer me,

so that the ones you love may be safe.

60:6 God has spoken in his sanctuary:

“I will triumph! I will parcel out Shechem;

the Valley of Succoth I will measure off.

60:7 Gilead belongs to me,

as does Manasseh!

Ephraim is my helmet,

Judah my royal scepter.

60:8 Moab is my washbasin.

I will make Edom serve me.

I will shout in triumph over Philistia.”

60:9 Who will lead me into the fortified city?

Who will bring me to Edom?

60:10 Have you not rejected us, O God?

O God, you do not go into battle with our armies.

60:11 Give us help against the enemy,

for any help men might offer is futile.

60:12 By God’s power we will conquer;

he will trample down our enemies.