PSALM 59

Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies.

For the choir director; set to Al-tashheth. A Mikhtam of David, when Saul sent men and they watched the house in order to kill him.

1Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;

Set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me.

2Deliver me from those who do iniquity

And save me from men of bloodshed.

3For behold, they have set an ambush for my life;

Fierce men launch an attack against me,

Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord,

4For no guilt of mine, they run and set themselves against me.

Arouse Yourself to help me, and see!

5You, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel,

Awake to punish all the nations;

Do not be gracious to any who are treacherous in iniquity. Selah.

6They return at evening, they howl like a dog,

And go around the city.

7Behold, they belch forth with their mouth;

Swords are in their lips,

For, they say, “Who hears?”

8But You, O Lord, laugh at them;

You scoff at all the nations.

9Because of his strength I will watch for You,

For God is my stronghold.

10My God in His lovingkindness will meet me;

God will let me look triumphantly upon my foes.

11Do not slay them, or my people will forget;

Scatter them by Your power, and bring them down,

O Lord, our shield.

12On account of the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips,

Let them even be caught in their pride,

And on account of curses and lies which they utter.

13Destroy them in wrath, destroy them that they may be no more;

That men may know that God rules in Jacob

To the ends of the earth. Selah.

14They return at evening, they howl like a dog,

And go around the city.

15They wander about for food

And growl if they are not satisfied.

16But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength;

Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning,

For You have been my stronghold

And a refuge in the day of my distress.

17O my strength, I will sing praises to You;

For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness.

PSALM 60

Lament over Defeat in Battle, and Prayer for Help.

For the choir director; according to Shushan Eduth. A Mikhtam of David, to teach; when he struggled with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and Joab returned, and smote twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.

1O God, You have rejected us. You have broken us;

You have been angry; O, restore us.

2You have made the land quake, You have split it open;

Heal its breaches, for it totters.

3You have made Your people experience hardship;

You have given us wine to drink that makes us stagger.

4You have given a banner to those who fear You,

That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.

5That Your beloved may be delivered,

Save with Your right hand, and answer us!

6God has spoken in His holiness:

“I will exult, I will portion out Shechem and measure out the valley of Succoth.

7Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;

Ephraim also is the helmet of My head;

Judah is My scepter.

8Moab is My washbowl;

Over Edom I shall throw My shoe;

Shout loud, O Philistia, because of Me!”

9Who will bring me into the besieged city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

10Have not You Yourself, O God, rejected us?

And will You not go forth with our armies, O God?

11O give us help against the adversary,

For deliverance by man is in vain.

12Through God we shall do valiantly,

And it is He who will tread down our adversaries.

PSALM 61

Confidence in God’s Protection.

For the choir director; on a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.

1Hear my cry, O God;

Give heed to my prayer.

2From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint;

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3For You have been a refuge for me,

A tower of strength against the enemy.

4Let me dwell in Your tent forever;

Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah.

5For You have heard my vows, O God;

You have given me the inheritance of those who fear Your name.

6You will prolong the king’s life;

His years will be as many generations.

7He will abide before God forever;

Appoint lovingkindness and truth that they may preserve him.

8So I will sing praise to Your name forever,

That I may pay my vows day by day.

PSALM 62

God Alone a Refuge from Treachery and Oppression.

For the choir director; according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

1My soul waits in silence for God only;

From Him is my salvation.

2He only is my rock and my salvation,

My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.

3How long will you assail a man,

That you may murder him, all of you,

Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?

4They have counseled only to thrust him down from his high position;

They delight in falsehood;

They bless with their mouth,

But inwardly they curse. Selah.

5My soul, wait in silence for God only,

For my hope is from Him.

6He only is my rock and my salvation,

My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.

7On God my salvation and my glory rest;

The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.

8Trust in Him at all times, O people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us. Selah.

9Men of low degree are only vanity and men of rank are a lie;

In the balances they go up;

They are together lighter than breath.

10Do not trust in oppression

And do not vainly hope in robbery;

If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them.

11Once God has spoken;

Twice I have heard this:

That power belongs to God;

12And lovingkindness is Yours, O Lord,

For You recompense a man according to his work.

PSALM 63

The Thirsting Soul Satisfied in God.

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

1O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly;

My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,

In a dry and weary land where there is no water.

2Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary,

To see Your power and Your glory.

3Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

My lips will praise You.

4So I will bless You as long as I live;

I will lift up my hands in Your name.

5My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness,

And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.

6When I remember You on my bed,

I meditate on You in the night watches,

7For You have been my help,

And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.

8My soul clings to You;

Your right hand upholds me.

9But those who seek my life to destroy it,

Will go into the depths of the earth.

10They will be delivered over to the power of the sword;

They will be a prey for foxes.

11But the king will rejoice in God;

Everyone who swears by Him will glory,

For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.

PSALM 64

Prayer for Deliverance from Secret Enemies.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

1Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;

Preserve my life from dread of the enemy.

2Hide me from the secret counsel of evildoers,

From the tumult of those who do iniquity,

3Who have sharpened their tongue like a sword.

They aimed bitter speech as their arrow,

4To shoot from concealment at the blameless;

Suddenly they shoot at him, and do not fear.

5They hold fast to themselves an evil purpose;

They talk of laying snares secretly;

They say, “Who can see them?”

6They devise injustices, saying,

“We are ready with a well-conceived plot”;

For the inward thought and the heart of a man are deep.

7But God will shoot at them with an arrow;

Suddenly they will be wounded.

8So they will make him stumble;

Their own tongue is against them;

All who see them will shake the head.

9Then all men will fear,

And they will declare the work of God,

And will consider what He has done.

10The righteous man will be glad in the Lord and will take refuge in Him;

And all the upright in heart will glory.