Psalm 59 Free Bible Version
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 For the music director. According to “Do Not Destroy.” A psalm (miktam) of David, concerning the time Saul sent out soldiers to watch David's house in order to kill him. Rescue me from my enemies, God! Protect me from those who are attacking 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 Rescue me from these evil people! Save me from these murderers!
2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity. Save me from the bloodthirsty men.
3 See how they're lying in wait to kill me! Powerful men are gathered against me, Lord, even though I have not sinned or done anything wrong.
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 Even though I'm not guilty they hurry to prepare an attack on me. Please stand up, come and help me, and see what's going on.
4 I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me. Rise up, behold, and help me!
5 You are God, the Lord Almighty, God of Israel. Stand up, and punish all the nations. Don't have any mercy on these evil traitors. 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 In the evening they return, snarling like dogs as they roam around the city.
6 They return at evening, howling like dogs, and prowl around the city.
7 See what evil talk comes pouring out of their mouths! Words sharp as swords, for they say to themselves, “Who can hear us?”
7 Behold, they spew with their mouth. Swords are in their lips, “For”, they say, “who hears us?”
8 But you, Lord, you laugh at them; you pour scorn on all the nations.
8 But you, Yahweh, laugh at them. You scoff at all the nations.
9 You are my strength! I will look to you, God, for you are the one who protects me.
9 Oh, my Strength, I watch for you, for God is my high tower.
10 In his trustworthy love, God will come and save me. He will show me how my enemies are defeated.
10 My God will go before me with his loving kindness. God will let me look at my enemies in triumph.
11 Don't kill them right away, otherwise my people will quickly forget what you have done. By your power make them stagger around and then fall down, Lord our protection.
11 Don’t kill them, or my people may forget. Scatter them by your power, and bring them down, Lord our shield.
12 Let them be caught out by the evil things they say, the words they proudly speak—brought down by their curses and the lies they tell!
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 Destroy them in your anger! Destroy them completely! Then everyone will know that God rules in Israel!
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 In the evening they return, snarling like dogs as they roam around the city.
14 At evening let them return. Let them howl like a dog, and go around the city.
15 They wander around, looking for things to eat, and howl when they're not satisfied.
15 They shall wander up and down for food, and wait all night if they aren’t satisfied.
16 But I will sing of your strength; in the morning I will sing for joy about your trustworthy love. For you have been my protection; my place of safety in my time of 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 You are my strength, I sing praises to you, for you are the one who protects me—the God who shows me his trustworthy love!
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)