Psalm 57-58

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Psalm 57

Praise for God’s Protection

For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.”^[a] A Davidic Miktam. When he fled before Saul into the cave.^(A)

¹Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me,
for I take refuge in You.
I will seek refuge in the shadow of Your wings
until danger passes.^(B)
²I call to God Most High,
to God who fulfills His purpose for me.^[b]^(C)
³He reaches down from heaven and saves me,
challenging the one who tramples me.^(D)Selah
God sends His faithful love and truth.^(E)
⁴I am surrounded by lions;
I lie down with those who devour men.
Their teeth are spears and arrows;
their tongues are sharp swords.^(F)
⁵God, be exalted above the heavens;
let Your glory be over the whole earth.^(G)
⁶They prepared a net for my steps;
I was despondent.
They dug a pit ahead of me,
but they fell into it!^(H)Selah

⁷My heart is confident, God, my heart is confident.
I will sing; I will sing praises.^(I)
⁸Wake up, my soul!^[c]
Wake up, harp and lyre!
I will wake up the dawn.^(J)
⁹I will praise You, Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the nations.^(K)
¹⁰For Your faithful love is as high as the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches the clouds.^(L)
¹¹God, be exalted above the heavens;^(M)
let Your glory be over the whole earth.^(N)

Psalm 58

A Cry against Injustice

For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.”^[d] A Davidic Miktam.

¹Do you really speak righteously, you mighty ones?^[e]
Do you judge people fairly?^(O)
²No, you practice injustice in your hearts;
with your hands you weigh out violence in the land.^(P)

³The wicked go astray from the womb;
liars err from birth.^(Q)
⁴They have venom like the venom of a snake,
like the deaf cobra that stops up its ears,^(R)
⁵that does not listen to the sound of the charmers
who skillfully weave spells.^(S)

⁶God, knock the teeth out of their mouths;
Lord, tear out the young lions’ fangs.^(T)
⁷They will vanish like water that flows by;
they will aim their useless arrows.^[f]^[g]^(U)
⁸Like a slug that moves along in slime,
like a woman’s miscarried child,
they will not see the sun.^(V)

⁹Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns—
whether green or burning—
He will sweep them away.^[h]^(W)
¹⁰The righteous one will rejoice
when he sees the retribution;^(X)
he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.^(Y)
¹¹Then people will say,
“Yes, there is a reward for the righteous!
There is a God who judges on earth!”^(Z)

Footnotes

Psalm 57:1 Possibly a tune
Psalm 57:2 Or who avenges me
Psalm 57:8 Lit glory
Psalm 58:1 Possibly a tune
Psalm 58:1 Or Can you really speak righteousness in silence?
Psalm 58:7 Or their arrows as if they were circumcised; Hb obscure
Psalm 58:7 Or they wither like trampled grass
Psalm 58:9 Or thorns, He will sweep it away, whether raw or cooking, or thorns, He will sweep him away alive in fury

Psalm 57-58

New International Version

Psalm 57^[a]^(A)

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.^[b] When he had fled from Saul into the cave.^(B)

¹Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge.^(C)
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings^(D)
until the disaster has passed.^(E)

²I cry out to God Most High,
    to God, who vindicates me.^(F)
³He sends from heaven and saves me,^(G)
    rebuking those who hotly pursue me—^[c]^(H)
    God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.^(I)

⁴I am in the midst of lions;^(J)
I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.^(K)

⁵Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.^(L)

⁶They spread a net for my feet^(M)—
I was bowed down^(N) in distress.
They dug a pit^(O) in my path—
but they have fallen into it themselves.^(P)

⁷My heart, O God, is steadfast,
    my heart is steadfast;^(Q)
    I will sing and make music.
⁸Awake, my soul!
    Awake, harp and lyre!^(R)
    I will awaken the dawn.

⁹I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
¹⁰For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.^(S)

¹¹Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;^(T)
let your glory be over all the earth.^(U)

Psalm 58^[d]

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.^[e]

¹Do you rulers indeed speak justly?^(V)
Do you judge people with equity?
²No, in your heart you devise injustice,^(W)
and your hands mete out violence on the earth.^(X)

³Even from birth the wicked go astray;
    from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.
⁴Their venom is like the venom of a snake,^(Y)
    like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,
⁵that will not heed^(Z) the tune of the charmer,^(AA)
    however skillful the enchanter may be.

⁶Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;^(AB)
    Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions!^(AC)
⁷Let them vanish like water that flows away;^(AD)
    when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.^(AE)
⁸May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,^(AF)
    like a stillborn child^(AG) that never sees the sun.

⁹Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns^(AH)—
    whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away.^[f]^(AI)
¹⁰The righteous will be glad^(AJ) when they are avenged,^(AK)
    when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.^(AL)
¹¹Then people will say,
    “Surely the righteous still are rewarded;^(AM)
    surely there is a God who judges the earth.”^(AN)

Footnotes

Psalm 57:1 In Hebrew texts 57:1-11 is numbered 57:2-12.
Psalm 57:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Psalm 57:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 6.
Psalm 58:1 In Hebrew texts 58:1-11 is numbered 58:2-12.
Psalm 58:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Psalm 58:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 57-58

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Psalm 57

Praise for God’s Protection

For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.”^[a] A Davidic Miktam. When he fled before Saul into the cave.^(A)

Psalm 58

A Cry against Injustice

For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.”^[d] A Davidic Miktam.

Footnotes

Cross references

Psalm 57-58

New International Version

Psalm 57^[a]^(A)

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.^[b] When he had fled from Saul into the cave.^(B)

Psalm 58^[d]

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.^[e]

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

Psalm 57-58 Holman Christian Standard Bible

Psalm 57

Praise for God’s Protection

For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.”[a] A Davidic Miktam. When he fled before Saul into the cave.(A)

Psalm 58

A Cry against Injustice

For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.”[d] A Davidic Miktam.

Footnotes

Cross references

Psalm 57-58 New International Version

Psalm 57[a](A)

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.[b] When he had fled from Saul into the cave.(B)

Psalm 58[d]

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.[e]

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

Psalm 57-58

Holman Christian Standard Bible

For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.”^[a] A Davidic Miktam. When he fled before Saul into the cave.^(A)

For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.”^[d] A Davidic Miktam.

Psalm 57-58

New International Version

Psalm 57^[a]^(A)

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.^[b] When he had fled from Saul into the cave.^(B)

Psalm 58^[d]

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.^[e]