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Psalm 56

This is for the music leader, and he should use special music.

David wrote this prayer when the Philistines took hold of him in Gath.

Trust in God [ a ]

56 God, please be kind to me, and help me,
because people are fighting me.
My enemies are attacking me every day.
2 They chase me all the time!
Those proud people want to catch me,
and there are many of them!
3 But when I am afraid,
I will trust in you.
4 By God's help, I will praise his word.
By God's help, I will trust in him.
I will not be afraid.
People can do nothing to hurt me! [ b ]
5 All the time, they bring trouble on me.
They are always thinking of ways to hurt me.
6 They hide and they watch me.
They watch me wherever I go,
and they hope to kill me.
7 God, they want to do wicked things,
so punish them!
Destroy these people,
because you are angry with them.
8 Every time that I am upset,
you know about it.
Put all my tears in your bottle!
Yes, write down every tear in your book. [ c ]
9 When I call to you for help,
my enemies will turn back.
I am sure of this: God is with me,
to fight for me.
10 By God's help, I will praise his promise.
Yes, by the Lord 's help,
I will praise his word.
11 I am not afraid,
because I trust in God.
People can do nothing to hurt me.
12 I have made special promises to you, God,
and I will do what I have promised.
I will offer to you a sacrifice to say ‘thank you’.
13 You have saved my life from death.
You keep me safe so that I do not fall.
As a result, I will serve you, God,
as you give me light to live here on earth.

Footnotes

  1. 56:1 Saul was trying to kill David. David was a servant of Saul. David ran away to Gath. Gath was the town where Goliath had lived. Gath was one of the Philistine towns. The Philistines were enemies of Saul and David and their people. David was afraid. He told God about it in this psalm. See 1 Samuel 21:10—22:2 .
  2. 56:4 If we trust God, we do not need to be afraid of people. They may hurt our bodies, but God will always take care of us. He will keep us safe to be with him in heaven for ever.
  3. 56:8 Every time David cried, he asked God to put his tears into a bottle. He asked God to count them all and write them down in his book. David knew that God understood all about his troubles.

To the director: To the tune “The Dove in the Distant Oak.” A miktam of David written when the Philistines captured him in Gath.

56 God, people have attacked me, so be merciful to me.
They have been chasing me all day, closing in to attack me.
2 My enemies come at me constantly.
There are too many fighters to count. [ a ]
3 When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
4 I trust God, so I am not afraid of what people can do to me!
I praise God for his promise to me.
5 My enemies are always twisting my words.
They are always making plans against me.
6 They hide together and watch every move I make,
hoping for some way to kill me.
7 God, send them away because of the bad things they did.
Show your anger and defeat those people.
8 You know I am very upset.
You know how much I have cried.
Surely you have kept an account of all my tears.

9 I know that when l call for help, my enemies will turn and run.
I know that because God is with me!
10 I praise God for his promise.
I praise the Lord for his promise to me.
11 I trust God, so I am not afraid
of what people can do to me!

12 God, I will keep the special promises I made to you.
I will give you my thank offering.
13 You saved me from death.
You kept me from being defeated.
So I will serve you in the light
that only the living can see.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 56:2 There are … count Or “There are many attacking me from above.”

56 Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me.

2 Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.

3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

4 In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

5 Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil.

6 They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.

7 Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God.

8 Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

9 When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.

10 In God will I praise his word: in the Lord will I praise his word.

11 In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.

12 Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee.

13 For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

Pleading for Help and Grateful Trust in God.

For the music director; according to [ a ] Jonath elem rehokim. A [ b ] Mikhtam of David, [ c ] when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

56 Be gracious to me, God, for a man has [ d ] ( A ) trampled upon me;
[ e ] Fighting all day long he ( B ) oppresses me.
2 My enemies have ( C ) trampled upon me all day long,
For [ f ] they are many who ( D ) fight proudly against me.
3 [ g ] When I am ( E ) afraid,
[ h ] I will ( F ) put my trust in You.
4 ( G ) In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not be afraid.
( H ) What can mere [ i ] mortals do to me?
5 All day long they ( I ) distort my words;
All their [ j ] ( J ) thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They [ k ] ( K ) attack, they lurk,
They ( L ) watch my [ l ] steps,
As they have ( M ) waited to take my [ m ] life.
7 Because of their wickedness, will there be an ( N ) escape for them?
In anger ( O ) make the peoples fall down, God!

8 You ( P ) have taken account of my [ n ] miseries;
Put my ( Q ) tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in ( R ) Your book?
9 Then my enemies will ( S ) turn back ( T ) on the day when I call;
This I know, [ o ] that ( U ) God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
In the Lord , whose word I praise,
11 In God I have put my [ p ] trust, I shall not be afraid.
What can mankind do to me?
12 Your ( V ) vows are binding upon me, God;
I will render thanksgiving offerings to You.
13 For You have ( W ) saved my soul from death,
[ q ] Indeed ( X ) my feet from stumbling,
So that I may ( Y ) walk before God
In the ( Z ) light of the [ r ] living.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 56 Title Or The silent dove of those who are far off ; or The dove of the distant terebinths
  2. Psalm 56 Title Possibly Epigrammatic Poem ; or Atonement Psalm
  3. Psalm 56 Title 1 Sam 21:10, 11
  4. Psalm 56:1 Or snapped at
  5. Psalm 56:1 Or A fighting man
  6. Psalm 56:2 Or many are fighting
  7. Psalm 56:3 Lit The day
  8. Psalm 56:3 Or I am one who puts
  9. Psalm 56:4 Lit flesh
  10. Psalm 56:5 Or purposes
  11. Psalm 56:6 Or stir up strife
  12. Psalm 56:6 Lit heels
  13. Psalm 56:6 Lit soul
  14. Psalm 56:8 Or wanderings
  15. Psalm 56:9 Or because
  16. Psalm 56:11 Or trust without fear
  17. Psalm 56:13 Or Have You not delivered
  18. Psalm 56:13 Or life

Psalm 56 [ a ]

For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam. [ b ] When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.

1 Be merciful to me, ( A ) my God,
for my enemies are in hot pursuit; ( B )
all day long they press their attack. ( C )
2 My adversaries pursue me all day long; ( D )
in their pride many are attacking me. ( E )

3 When I am afraid, ( F ) I put my trust in you. ( G )
4 In God, whose word I praise— ( H )
in God I trust and am not afraid. ( I )
What can mere mortals do to me? ( J )

5 All day long they twist my words; ( K )
all their schemes are for my ruin.
6 They conspire, ( L ) they lurk,
they watch my steps, ( M )
hoping to take my life. ( N )
7 Because of their wickedness do not [ c ] let them escape; ( O )
in your anger, God, bring the nations down. ( P )

8 Record my misery;
list my tears on your scroll [ d ] ( Q ) —
are they not in your record? ( R )
9 Then my enemies will turn back ( S )
when I call for help. ( T )
By this I will know that God is for me. ( U )

10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord , whose word I praise—
11 in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can man do to me?

12 I am under vows ( V ) to you, my God;
I will present my thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered me from death ( W )
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life. ( X )

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 56:1 In Hebrew texts 56:1-13 is numbered 56:2-14.
  2. Psalm 56:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  3. Psalm 56:7 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text does not have do not .
  4. Psalm 56:8 Or misery; / put my tears in your wineskin
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