Psalm 57[a]
Confident Prayer for Deliverance
1 For the director. Do not destroy.[b] A miktam of David, when he fled from Saul into a cave.(A)
I
2 Have mercy on me, God,
have mercy on me.
In you I seek refuge.
In the shadow of your wings[c] I seek refuge
till harm pass by.(B)
3 I call to God Most High,
to God who provides for me.
4 May God send help from heaven to save me,
shame those who trample upon me.
May God send fidelity and mercy.
Selah
5 I must lie down in the midst of lions
hungry for human prey.(C)
Their teeth are spears and arrows;
their tongue, a sharpened sword.(D)
6 Be exalted over the heavens, God;
may your glory appear above all the earth.(E)
II
7 They have set a trap for my feet;
my soul is bowed down;
They have dug a pit before me.
May they fall into it themselves!(F)
Selah
8 My heart is steadfast, God,
my heart is steadfast.
I will sing and chant praise.(G)
9 Awake, my soul;
awake, lyre and harp!
I will wake the dawn.[d](H)
10 I will praise you among the peoples, Lord;
I will chant your praise among the nations.(I)
11 For your mercy towers to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.(J)
12 Exalt yourself over the heavens, God;
may your glory appear above all the earth.
Footnotes
- Psalm 57 Each of the two equal strophes contains a prayer for rescue from enemies, accompanied by joyful trust in God (Ps 57:2–5, 7–11). The refrain prays that God be manifested as saving (Ps 57:6, 12). Ps 108 is nearly identical to part of this Psalm (cf. Ps 57:8–11, Ps 108:2–6).
- 57:1 Do not destroy: probably the title of the melody to which the Psalm was to be sung.
- 57:2 The shadow of your wings: probably refers to the wings of the cherubim (powerful winged animals) whose wings spread over the ark in the inner chamber of the Temple (1 Kgs 6:23–28).
- 57:9 I will wake the dawn: by a bold figure the psalmist imagines the sound of music and singing will waken a new day.