Prayer for Relief from Tormentors

To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Silent Dove in Distant Lands.”^[a] A Michtam of David when the Philistines captured him in Gath.

56 Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up;Fighting all day he oppresses me.² My enemies would hound me all day,For there are many who fight against me, O Most High.

³ Whenever I am afraid,I will trust in You.⁴ In God (I will praise His word),In God I have put my trust;I will not fear.What can flesh do to me?

⁵ All day they twist my words;All their thoughts are against me for evil.⁶ They gather together,They hide, they mark my steps,When they lie in wait for my life.⁷ Shall they escape by iniquity?In anger cast down the peoples, O God!

⁸ You number my wanderings;Put my tears into Your bottle;Are they not in Your book?⁹ When I cry out to You,Then my enemies will turn back;This I know, because God is for me.¹⁰ In God (I will praise His word),In the Lord (I will praise His word),¹¹ In God I have put my trust;I will not be afraid.What can man do to me?

¹² Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God;I will render praises to You,¹³ For You have delivered my soul from death.Have You not kept my feet from falling,That I may walk before GodIn the light of the living?