Psalm 59,1 | New International Reader’s Version

For the director of music. A miktam of David when Saul had sent men to watch David’s house. Saul sent the men to kill David. To the tune of ‘Do Not Destroy.’

1 God, save me from my enemies. Keep me safe from people who are attacking me. 2 Save me from those who do evil. Save me from people who want to kill me. 3 See how they hide and wait for me! LORD, angry people plan to harm me, even though I haven’t hurt them in any way or sinned against them. 4 I haven’t done anything wrong to them. But they are ready to attack me. Rise up and help me! Look at what I’m up against! 5 LORD God who rules over all, rise up. God of Israel, punish all the nations. Don’t show any mercy to those sinful people who have turned against me. 6 My enemies are like a pack of barking dogs that come back to the city in the evening. They prowl around the city. 7 Listen to what pours out of their mouths. The words from their lips are like swords. They think, ‘Who can hear us?’ 8 But you laugh at them, LORD. You make fun of all those nations. 9 You give me strength. I look to you. God, you are like a fort to me. 10 You are my God, and I can depend on you. God will march out in front of me. He will let me look down on those who tell lies about me. 11 Lord, you are like a shield that keeps us safe. Don’t kill my enemies all at once. If you do, my people will forget about it. Use your power to pull my enemies up by the roots like weeds. Destroy them. 12 They have sinned with their mouths. Their lips have spoken evil words. They have cursed me and lied. Let them be caught in their pride. 13 Burn them up in your anger. Burn them up until there isn’t anything left of them. Then everyone from one end of the earth to the other will know that God rules over the people of Jacob. 14 My enemies are like a pack of barking dogs that come back into the city in the evening. They prowl around the city. 15 They wander around looking for food. They groan if they don’t find something that will satisfy them. 16 But I will sing about your strength. In the morning I will sing about your love. You are like a fort to me. You keep me safe in times of trouble. 17 You give me strength. I sing praise to you. God, you are like a fort to me. You are my God, and I can depend on you.

English Standard Version

Deliver Me from My Enemies

1 To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam* of David, when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him. Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me; 2 deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men. 3 For behold, they lie in wait for my life; fierce men stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord, 4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Awake, come to meet me, and see! 5 You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel. Rouse yourself to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. 6 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. 7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths with swords in their lips— for “Who,” they think,* “will hear us?” 8 But you, O Lord, laugh at them; you hold all the nations in derision. 9 O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. 10 My God in his steadfast love* will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies. 11 Kill them not, lest my people forget; make them totter* by your power and bring them down, O Lord, our shield! 12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter, 13 consume them in wrath; consume them till they are no more, that they may know that God rules over Jacob to the ends of the earth. 14 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. 15 They wander about for food and growl if they do not get their fill. 16 But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. 17 O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.

Psalm 59,1 | New International Reader’s Version English Standard Version

For the director of music. A miktam of David when Saul had sent men to watch David’s house. Saul sent the men to kill David. To the tune of ‘Do Not Destroy.’

Deliver Me from My Enemies