Psalms · Bible in Basic English
Psalm 59 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Greek and Latin Bibles number most Psalms one lower than Hebrew and English Bibles.
1 To the chief music-maker; put to At-tashheth. Michtam. Of David. When Saul sent, and they were watching the house, to put him to death. Take me out of the hands of the cruel ones, O my God; keep me safe from those who come up against me.
1 For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A poem by David, when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him. Deliver me from my enemies, my God. Set me on high from those who rise up against me.
2 Take me out of the power of the workers of evil, and keep me safe from the men of blood.
2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity. Save me from the bloodthirsty men.
3 For see, they are watching in secret for my soul; the strong have come together against me? but not because of my sin, or my evil-doing, O Lord.
3 For, behold, they lie in wait for my soul. The mighty gather themselves together against me, not for my disobedience, nor for my sin, Yahweh.
4 For no sin of mine they go quickly and get themselves ready; be awake and come to my help, and see.
4 I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me. Rise up, behold, and help me!
5 You, O Lord God of armies, are the God of Israel; come now and give punishment to the nations; have no mercy on any workers of deceit. (Selah.)
5 You, Yahweh God of Armies, the God of Israel, rouse yourself to punish the nations. Show no mercy to the wicked traitors. Selah.
6 They come back in the evening; they make a noise like a dog, and go round the town.
6 They return at evening, howling like dogs, and prowl around the city.
7 See, hate is dropping from their lips; curses are on their tongues: they say, Who gives attention to it?
7 Behold, they spew with their mouth. Swords are in their lips, “For”, they say, “who hears us?”
8 But you are laughing at them, O Lord; you will make sport of all the nations.
8 But you, Yahweh, laugh at them. You scoff at all the nations.
9 O my strength, I will put my hope in you; because God is my strong tower.
9 Oh, my Strength, I watch for you, for God is my high tower.
10 The God of my mercy will go before me: God will let me see my desire effected on my haters.
10 My God will go before me with his loving kindness. God will let me look at my enemies in triumph.
11 Put them not to death, for so my people will keep the memory of them: let them be sent in all directions by your power; make them low, O Lord our saviour.
11 Don’t kill them, or my people may forget. Scatter them by your power, and bring them down, Lord our shield.
12 Because of the sin of their mouths and the word of their lips, let them even be taken in their pride; and for their curses and their deceit,
12 For the sin of their mouth, and the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride, for the curses and lies which they utter.
13 Put an end to them in your wrath, put an end to them, so that they may not be seen again; let them see that God is ruling in Jacob and to the ends of the earth. (Selah.)
13 Consume them in wrath. Consume them, and they will be no more. Let them know that God rules in Jacob, to the ends of the earth. Selah.
14 And in the evening let them come back, and make a noise like a dog, and go round the town.
14 At evening let them return. Let them howl like a dog, and go around the city.
15 Let them go wandering up and down in search of food, and be there all night if they have not enough.
15 They shall wander up and down for food, and wait all night if they aren’t satisfied.
16 But I will make songs of your power; yes, I will give cries of joy for your mercy in the morning; because you have been my strength and my high tower in the day of my trouble.
16 But I will sing of your strength. Yes, I will sing aloud of your loving kindness in the morning. For you have been my high tower, a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 To you, O my strength, will I make my song: because God is my high tower, even the God of my mercy.
17 To you, my strength, I will sing praises. For God is my high tower, the God of my mercy.
Cross references (17)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 1 Samuel 19:11–24; Psalm 18:48; Luke 1:74–75; Isaiah 33:16; Psalm 57:1
- 2 Psalm 139:19; Psalm 26:9; Psalm 55:23; Psalm 27:2
- 3 Psalm 56:6; Psalm 69:4; 1 Samuel 24:11; John 15:25; Proverbs 12:6
- 4 Psalm 35:23; Proverbs 1:16; Psalm 5:6; Acts 23:15; 1 Samuel 19:12–24
- 5 Psalm 84:8; Psalm 55:15; Psalm 9:15; Genesis 33:20; Isaiah 1:10
- 6 Psalm 59:14; Psalm 22:16; 1 Samuel 19:11
- 7 Psalm 57:4; Proverbs 15:2; Psalm 10:11; Psalm 73:11; Psalm 10:13
- 8 Proverbs 1:26; Psalm 37:13; Psalm 2:4; Psalm 59:5; Matthew 18:17
- 9 Psalm 9:9; Isaiah 26:3–4; Psalm 62:2; Psalm 27:14; Psalm 59:17
- 10 1 Peter 5:10; Psalm 21:3; Psalm 54:7; Psalm 59:17; Psalm 92:11
- 11 Psalm 3:3; Deuteronomy 28:64; Revelation 9:6; Luke 1:51–52; Deuteronomy 4:27
- 12 Proverbs 12:13; Psalm 10:7; Proverbs 18:7; Hosea 4:2; Matthew 12:36–37
- 13 Psalm 83:18; Psalm 7:9; Ezekiel 39:7; Psalm 59:11; Ezekiel 38:23
- 14 Psalm 22:16; Psalm 59:6
- 15 Job 15:23; Psalm 109:10; Job 30:1–7; Lamentations 5:9; Isaiah 56:11
- 16 Psalm 21:13; Ephesians 3:20; Romans 15:9; Psalm 30:5; Psalm 143:8
- 17 Psalm 46:1; Psalm 59:9–10; Psalm 18:1
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
The words which we have sung must be rather hearkened to by us, than proclaimed. For to all men as it were in an assemblage of mankind, the Truth crieth, "If truly indeed justice ye speak, judge right things, ye sons of men" (ver. 1). For to what unjust man is it not an easy thing to speak justice?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)
… with fears and sorrows, he may cry, if there be yet soul in him to feel his ills, in the words of the psalm, "My soul is cast down within me," and when chastened, may say," Because of his strength I will wait upon Thee." These and similar allegorical interpretations may be suitably put upon Paradise without giving offence to …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
… that He was put in bonds before the gates of the city, thou hast heard before, if thou rememberest the exposition of the Psalm, which has told the time and the place; how they returned at evening, and hungered like dogs, and encompassed the city.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)