June 12 – Psalms 58 and 59 from the Old Testament
Psalms 58 and 59 – Psalm 58
For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; a prayer of David.
58:1 Do you rulers really pronounce just decisions?
Do you judge people fairly?
58:2 No! You plan how to do what is unjust;
you deal out violence in the earth.
58:3 The wicked turn aside from birth;
liars go astray as soon as they are born.
58:4 Their venom is like that of a snake,
like a deaf serpent that does not hear,
58:5 that does not respond to the magicians,
or to a skilled snake-charmer.
58:6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths!
Smash the jawbones of the lions, O Lord!
58:7 Let them disappear like water that flows away!
Let them wither like grass!
58:8 Let them be like a snail that melts away as it moves along!
Let them be like stillborn babies that never see the sun!
58:9 Before the kindling is even placed under your pots,
he will sweep it away along with both the raw and cooked meat.
58:10 The godly will rejoice when they see vengeance carried out;
they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.
58:11 Then observers will say,
“Yes indeed, the godly are rewarded!
Yes indeed, there is a God who judges in the earth!”
Psalm 59
For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; a prayer of David, written when Saul sent men to surround his house and murder him.
59:1 Deliver me from my enemies, my God!
Protect me from those who attack me!
59:2 Deliver me from evildoers!
Rescue me from violent men!
59:3 For look, they wait to ambush me;
powerful men stalk me,
but not because I have rebelled or sinned, O Lord.
59:4 Though I have done nothing wrong, they are anxious to attack.
Spring into action and help me! Take notice of me!
59:5 You, O Lord God, the invincible warrior, the God of Israel,
rouse yourself and punish all the nations!
Have no mercy on any treacherous evildoers! (Selah)
59:6 They return in the evening;
they growl like a dog
and prowl around outside the city.
59:7 Look, they hurl insults at me
and openly threaten to kill me,
for they say,
“Who hears?”
59:8 But you, O Lord, laugh in disgust at them;
you taunt all the nations.
59:9 You are my source of strength! I will wait for you!
For God is my refuge.
59:10 The God who loves me will help me;
God will enable me to triumph over my enemies.
59:11 Do not strike them dead suddenly,
because then my people might forget the lesson.
Use your power to make them homeless vagabonds and then bring them down,
O Lord who shields us!
59:12 They speak sinful words.
So let them be trapped by their own pride
and by the curses and lies they speak!
59:13 Angrily wipe them out! Wipe them out so they vanish!
Let them know that God rules
in Jacob and to the ends of the earth! (Selah)
59:14 They return in the evening;
they growl like a dog
and prowl around outside the city.
59:15 They wander around looking for something to eat;
they refuse to sleep until they are full.
59:16 As for me, I will sing about your strength;
I will praise your loyal love in the morning.
For you are my refuge
and my place of shelter when I face trouble.
59:17 You are my source of strength! I will sing praises to you!
For God is my refuge, the God who loves me.
