10 My merciful God will come to my aid; God will let me look with joy upon my enemies. 11 Slay them not, lest my people forget; Scatter them by thy power, and cast them down, 12 All the words of their lips are sin; Let them be overtaken in their pride, For the curses and the falsehood which they utter ! 13 Consume them in thy wrath; consume them that they be no more, That they may know that God ruleth in Jacob, Even to the ends of the earth! 14 Let them return at evening, Let them howl like dogs, And go round about the city! 15 Let them wander about for food, When they have passed the night unsatisfied! 16 But I will sing of thy power; Yea, in the morning will I sing aloud of thy mercy; My refuge in the day of my distress. 17 To thee, O my Strength, will I sing! For God is my defence; a God of mercy to me. PSALM LX. Prayer for success, and hopes of victory and conquest in a very disastrous state of public affairs. For the leader of the music; upon the Shushan-Eduth; a psalm of David for instruction; when he was at strife with the Syrians of Mesopotamia, and the Syrians of Zoba; when Joab returned and smote twelve thousand Edomites in the valley of Salt. O GOD, thou hast forsaken us; thou hast broken us in pieces; Thou hast been angry! O revive us again! 2 Thou hast made the land tremble; thou hast rent it; O heal its breaches, for it tottereth! 3 Thou hast caused thy people to see hard things; Thou hast made us drink the wine of reeling. 4 Lift up a banner for them that fear thee, For the sake of thy faithfulness, that they may escape! 5 That thy beloved may be delivered, Save with thy right hand, and answer me ! 6 God promiseth in his holiness; I will rejoice; I shall yet divide Shechem, And measure out the valley of Succoth. 7 Gilead shall be mine, and mine Manasseh; Ephraim shall be my helmet, And Judah my sceptre; 8 Moab shall be my wash-bowl; Upon Edom shall I cast my shoe ; 9 Who will bring me to the strong city? Who will lead me into Edom? 10 Wilt not thou, O God, who didst forsake us, And didst not go forth with our armies ? 11 Give us thine aid in our distress, For vain is the help of man! 12 Through God we shall do valiantly; For he will tread down our enemies. PSALM LXI. A prayer of an exile for help, for restoration to his native land, and for the health and prosperity of the king. For the leader of the music. 1 To be sung upon stringed instruments. A psalm of David. HEAR my cry, O God! Attend to my prayer! 2 From the extremity of the land I cry unto thee in deep sorrow of heart; Lead me to the rock that is high above me! 3 For thou art my refuge, My strong tower against the enemy. 4 I shall dwell in thy tabernacle for ever; I will seek refuge under the covert of thy wings. 5 For thou, O God, wilt hear my vows, And give me the inheritance of those who fear thy name. May his years extend through many generations! May he reign for ever before God! Grant that mercy and truth may preserve him! 8 So will I sing praise to thy name for ever; I will daily perform my vows. PSALM LXII. Trust in God in circumstances of distress. For the leader of the music of the Jeduthunites. A psalm of David. 1 ON God alone my soul reposeth; From him cometh my deliverance! 2 He alone is my rock and my salvation; 3 He is my safeguard, I shall not wholly fall! How long will ye continue to assault a single man? How long will ye all seek to destroy me, Like a bending wall, or a tottering fence? 4 They study how to cast me down from my eminence; They delight in falsehood; They bless with their mouths, but in their hearts they curse. My soul, repose thou on God alone, For from him cometh my hope! 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation; 7 From God cometh my help and my glory; 9 Truly men of low degree are vanity, And men of high degree are a lie; Placed in the balance, They are all lighter than vanity. 10 Trust not in extortion ; Place no vain hopes in rapine! If riches increase, set not your heart upon them! 11 Once hath God promised, twice have I heard it, That power belongeth unto God. 12 To thee also, O Lord, belongeth mercy, For thou dost render to every man according to his work! PSALM LXIII. Aspirations after God, and confidence in his protection. Supposed to have reference to the circumstances of David during the rebellion of Absalom. A psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. 1 O GOD, thou art my God! earnestly do I seek thee! My soul thirsteth, my flesh longeth for thee, In a dry, thirsty land, where is no water! 2 Thus I look toward thee in thy sanctuary, To behold thy power and thy glory! 3 For thy loving-kindness is better than life; Therefore my lips shall praise thee! 4 Thus will I bless thee, while I live; In thy name will I lift up my hands! 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And with joyful lips my mouth shall praise thee ! 6 When I think of thee upon my bed, And meditate on thee in the night-watches, 7 For thou art my help, And in the shadow of thy wings I rejoice, 8 My soul cleaveth to thee; Thy right hand holdeth me up. |