59:1 [For the music director; set to ①Al-tashheth. A ②Mikhtam of David, ③when Saul sent men and they watched the house in order to kill him.]
Rescue me from my enemies, my God;
④Set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me.
▷ ①Lit Do Not Destroy ②Possibly Epigrammatic Poem or Atonement Psalm ③1 Sam 19:11 ④Or May You put me in an inaccessibly high place
59:2 Rescue me from those who practice injustice,
And save me from men of bloodshed.
59:3 For behold, they have ①set an ambush for my ②life;
③Fierce men attack me,
Not for my wrongdoing nor for my sin, LORD,
▷ ①Or lain in wait ②Lit soul ③Or Strong
59:4 ①For no guilt of mine, they run and take their stand against me.
Stir Yourself to ②help me, and see!
▷ ①Lit Without guilt ②Lit meet
59:5 You, LORD God of armies, the God of Israel,
Awake to ①punish all the nations;
Do not be gracious to any who deal treacherously in wrongdoing. Selah
▷ ①Lit visit
59:6 They return at evening, they howl like a dog,
And prowl around the city.
59:7 Behold, they gush forth with their mouths;
Swords are in their lips,
For, they say, “Who hears?”
59:8 But You, LORD, laugh at them;
You scoff at all the nations.
59:9 Because of ①his strength I will watch for You,
For God is my refuge.
▷ ①LXX, some mss and some ancient versions my strength (cf. v 17)
59:10 ①My God in His faithfulness will meet me;
God will let me look triumphantly upon my enemies.
▷ ①Many mss and some ancient versions The God of my faithfulness
59:11 Do not kill them, or my people will forget;
①Scatter them by Your power and bring them down,
Lord, our shield.
▷ ①Or Make them wander
59:12 ①On account of the sin of their mouths and the words of their lips,
May they even be caught in their pride,
And on account of curses and lies which they tell.
▷ ①Or The sin of their mouth is the word of their lips,
59:13 ①Destroy them in wrath, ②destroy them so that they will no longer exist;
So that people may know that God ③rules in Jacob,
To the ends of the earth. Selah
▷ ①Lit Bring to an end ②Lit Bring to an end ③Or is Ruler
59:14 They return at evening, they howl like a dog,
And prowl around the city.
59:15 They wander about ①for food
And ②murmur if they are not satisfied.
▷ ①Lit to eat ②Another reading is linger all night
59:16 But as for me, I will sing of Your strength;
Yes, I will joyfully sing of Your faithfulness in the morning,
For You have been my refuge
And a place of refuge on the day of my distress.
59:17 My strength, I will sing praises to You;
For God is my refuge, the ①God who shows me favor.
▷ ①Lit God of my favor