1 To the Overseer. — 'Destroy not,' by David. — A secret treasure, in Saul's sending, and they watch the house to put him to death. Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God, From my withstanders set me on high. 2 Deliver me from workers of iniquity, And from men of blood save me. 3 For, lo, they laid wait for my soul, Assembled against me are strong ones, Not my transgression nor my sin, O Jehovah. 4 Without punishment they run and prepare themselves, Stir up to meet me, and see. 5 And Thou, Jehovah, God of Hosts, God of Israel, Awake to inspect all the nations. Favour not any treacherous dealers of iniquity. Selah. 6 They turn back at evening, They make a noise like a dog, And go round about the city. 7 Lo, they belch out with their mouths, Swords [are] in their lips, for 'Who heareth?' 8 And Thou, O Jehovah dost laugh at them, Thou dost mock at all the nations. 9 O my Strength, unto Thee I take heed, For God [is] my tower — the God of my kindness. 10 God doth go before me, He causeth me to look on mine enemies. 11 Slay them not, lest my people forget, Shake them by Thy strength, And bring them down, O Lord our shield. 12 The sin of their mouth [is] a word of their lips, And they are captured in their pride, And from the curse and lying they recount. 13 Consume in fury, consume and they are not, And they know that God is ruling in Jacob, To the ends of the earth. Selah. 14 And they turn back at evening, They make a noise like a dog, And they go round about the city. 15 They — they wander for food, If they are not satisfied — then they murmur. 16 And I — I sing [of] Thy strength, And I sing at morn [of] Thy kindness, For thou hast been a tower to me, And a refuge for me in a day of adversity. 17 O my Strength, unto Thee I sing praise, For God [is] my tower, the God of my kindness!
Psalms · Young's Literal Translation
Psalm 59 Young's Literal Translation
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.
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)