Psalm 56 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

Psa 56:1

Psa 56:1For the choir director: A psalm[fn] of David, regarding the time the Philistines seized him in Gath. To be sung to the tune “Dove on Distant Oaks.”

O God, have mercy on me,
for people are hounding me.
My foes attack me all day long.

Psa 56:2

Psa 56:2I am constantly hounded by those who slander me,
and many are boldly attacking me.

Psa 56:3

Psa 56:3But when I am afraid,
I will put my trust in you.

Psa 56:4

Psa 56:4I praise God for what he has promised.
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?
What can mere mortals do to me?

Psa 56:5

Psa 56:5They are always twisting what I say;
they spend their days plotting to harm me.

Psa 56:6

Psa 56:6They come together to spy on me—
watching my every step, eager to kill me.

Psa 56:7

Psa 56:7Don’t let them get away with their wickedness;
in your anger, O God, bring them down.

Psa 56:8

Psa 56:8You keep track of all my sorrows.[fn]
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.

Psa 56:9

Psa 56:9My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help.
This I know: God is on my side!

Psa 56:10

Psa 56:10I praise God for what he has promised;
yes, I praise the LORD for what he has promised.

Psa 56:11

Psa 56:11I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?
What can mere mortals do to me?

Psa 56:12

Psa 56:12I will fulfill my vows to you, O God,
and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for your help.

Psa 56:13

Psa 56:13For you have rescued me from death;
you have kept my feet from slipping.
So now I can walk in your presence, O God,
in your life-giving light.

See the NLT Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NLT Footnotes

(56:1)

Hebrew miktam. This may be a literary or musical term.

(56:8)

Or my wanderings.

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For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.