58  Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?²

Do you judge the children of man uprightly?

2  No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;

your hands deal out violence on earth.

3  The wicked are ^hestranged from the womb;

they go astray from birth, speaking lies.

4  They have venom like the ⁱvenom of a serpent,

like the deaf adder that stops its ear,

5  so that it does not hear the voice of ^jcharmers

or of the cunning enchanter.

6  O God, ^kbreak the teeth in their mouths;

tear out the fangs of the young ^llions, O Lord!

7  Let them vanish like water that runs away;

when he ^maims his arrows, let them be blunted.

8  Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,

like the stillborn child who never sees the sun.

9  Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,

whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!³

10  ⁿThe righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;

he will bathe his ^ofeet in the blood of the wicked.

11  Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;

surely there is a ^pGod who judges on earth.”

59  ^rDeliver 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 ^sstir up strife against me.

For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord,

4  for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.

^tAwake, come to meet me, and see!

5  You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel.

^uRouse yourself to punish all the nations;

spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah

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,² “will hear us?”

8  But you, O Lord, ^vlaugh 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 love³ will ^wmeet me;

God will let me ^xlook in triumph on my enemies.

11  Kill them not, lest my people forget;

make them totter⁴ by your power and bring them down,

O Lord, our ^yshield!

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,

^zthat they may know that God rules over Jacob

to the ends of the earth. Selah

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 ^ain 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.

60  O God, you have ^crejected us, broken our defenses;

you have been angry; oh, restore us.

2  You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open;

repair its breaches, for it totters.

3  ^dYou have made your people see hard things;

you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger.

4  You have set up a ^ebanner for those who fear you,

that they may flee to it from the bow.² Selah

5  ^fThat your beloved ones may be delivered,

give salvation by your right hand and answer us!

6  God has spoken in his holiness:³

“With exultation I will divide up Shechem

and portion out the Vale of Succoth.

7  Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;

Ephraim is my helmet;

Judah is my ^gscepter.

8  Moab is my washbasin;

upon Edom I cast my shoe;

over Philistia I shout in triumph.”⁴

9  Who will bring me to the fortified city?

Who will lead me to Edom?

10  Have you not ^hrejected us, O God?

ⁱYou do not go forth, O God, with our armies.

11  Oh, grant us help against the foe,

for vain is the salvation of man!

12  With God we shall do valiantly;

it is he who will tread down our foes.

61  Hear my cry, O God,

listen to my prayer;

2  from the end of the earth I call to you

^jwhen my heart is faint.

Lead me to the rock

that is higher than I,

3  for you have been my refuge,

a ^kstrong tower against the enemy.

4  Let me ^ldwell in your tent forever!

Let me take refuge ^munder the shelter of your wings! Selah

5  For you, O God, have heard my vows;

you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

6  Prolong the life of the king;

ⁿmay his years endure to all generations!

7  May he be enthroned forever before God;

appoint ^osteadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!

8  So will I ever sing praises to your name,

as I perform my vows day after day.

62  ^qFor God alone my soul waits ^rin silence;

from him comes my salvation.

2  He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

3  How long will all of you attack a man

to batter him,

like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?

4  They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.

They take pleasure in falsehood.

They bless with their mouths,

^sbut inwardly they curse. Selah

5  ^tFor God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,

for my hope is from him.

6  He only is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

7  On God rests my salvation and my glory;

my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

8  ^uTrust in him at all times, O people;

^vpour out your heart before him;

God is a refuge for us. Selah

9  Those of ^wlow estate are but a breath;

those of high estate are a delusion;

in the balances they go up;

they are together lighter than a breath.

10  Put no ^xtrust in extortion;

set no vain hopes on robbery;

^yif riches increase, set not your heart on them.

11  Once God has spoken;

twice have I heard this:

that power belongs to God,

12  and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.

For you will render to a man

^zaccording to his work.