Psalms 57; Psalms 58; Psalms 59

1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful, because I come to you for safety. In the shadow of your wings I find protection until the raging storms are over.

2 I call to God, the Most High, to God, who supplies my every need.

3 He will answer from heaven and save me; he will defeat my oppressors. God will show me his constant love and faithfulness.

4 I am surrounded by enemies, who are like lions hungry for human flesh. Their teeth are like spears and arrows; their tongues are like sharp swords.

5 Show your greatness in the sky, O God, and your glory over all the earth.

6 My enemies have spread a net to catch me; I am overcome with distress. They dug a pit in my path, but fell into it themselves.

7 I have complete confidence, O God; I will sing and praise you!

8 Wake up, my soul! Wake up, my harp and lyre! I will wake up the sun.

9 I will thank you, O Lord, among the nations. I will praise you among the peoples.

10 Your constant love reaches the heavens; your faithfulness touches the skies.

11 Show your greatness in the sky, O God, and your glory over all the earth.

1 Do you rulers ever give a just decision? Do you judge everyone fairly?

2 No! You think only of the evil you can do, and commit crimes of violence in the land.

3 Evildoers go wrong all their lives; they tell lies from the day they are born.

4 They are full of poison like snakes; they stop up their ears like a deaf cobra,

5 which does not hear the voice of the snake charmer, or the chant of the clever magician.

6 Break the teeth of these fierce lions, O God.

7 May they disappear like water draining away; may they be crushed like weeds on a path.

8 May they be like snails that dissolve into slime; may they be like a baby born dead that never sees the light.

9 Before they know it, they are cut down like weeds; in his fierce anger God will blow them away while they are still living.

10 The righteous will be glad when they see sinners punished; they will wade through the blood of the wicked.

11 People will say, "The righteous are indeed rewarded; there is indeed a God who judges the world."

1 Save me from my enemies, my God; protect me from those who attack me!

2 Save me from those evil people; rescue me from those murderers!

3 Look! They are waiting to kill me; cruel people are gathering against me. It is not because of any sin or wrong I have done,

4 nor because of any fault of mine, O Lord, that they hurry to their places.

5 Rise, Lord God Almighty, and come to my aid; see for yourself, God of Israel! Wake up and punish the heathen; show no mercy to evil traitors!

6 They come back in the evening, snarling like dogs as they go about the city.

7 Listen to their insults and threats. Their tongues are like swords in their mouths, yet they think that no one hears them.

8 But you laugh at them, Lord; you mock all the heathen.

9 I have confidence in your strength; you are my refuge, O God.

10 My God loves me and will come to me; he will let me see my enemies defeated.

11 Do not kill them, O God, or my people may forget. Scatter them by your strength and defeat them, O Lord, our protector.

12 Sin is on their lips; all their words are sinful; may they be caught in their pride! Because they curse and lie,

13 destroy them in your anger; destroy them completely. Then everyone will know that God rules in Israel, that his rule extends over all the earth.

14 My enemies come back in the evening, snarling like dogs as they go about the city,

15 like dogs roaming about for food and growling if they do not find enough.

16 But I will sing about your strength; every morning I will sing aloud of your constant love. You have been a refuge for me, a shelter in my time of trouble.

17 I will praise you, my defender. My refuge is God, the God who loves me.