PSALM 55

For the End: Concerning the People Distant from the Holies. By David, for a Pillar Inscription. When the Foreigners Took Him in Geth.

Have mercy on me, O God, for man hath trodden me down all the day long; making war, he hath afflicted me. Mine enemies have trodden me down all the day long, for many are they that war against me from on high. By day I shall not fear; but as for me, I will hope in Thee. In God will I commend my words, in God I have set my hope; I will not fear what flesh shall do to me. All the day long they detested my words, all their thoughts were against me for evil. They will dwell near and will hide themselves; they will watch where I set my heel, even as they have waited for my soul. On no account wilt Thou save them, in wrath wilt Thou bring down the peoples, O God. My life have I declared unto Thee; Thou hast set my tears before Thee. Even as in Thy promise, mine enemies shall be turned back. In what day soever I shall call upon Thee, behold, I know that Thou art God. In God will I praise His word, in the Lord will I praise His speech; in God have I put my hope, I will not fear what man shall do unto me. In me, O God, there be vows, which I will render in praise of Thee. For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from sliding, that I may be well-pleasing before the Lord in the light of the living.

PSALM 56
For the End: Destroy not. By David; for a Pillar Inscription.

When He Fled from the Presence of Saul to the Cave. Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for my soul trusted in Thee. And in the shadow of Thy wings will I hope, until iniquity shall pass away. I will cry unto God the Most High, unto God my benefactor. He hath sent out of heaven and saved me, He hath given over to reproach them that were trampling me down. God hath sent forth His mercy and His truth, and hath delivered my soul from the midst of lions' cubs; I lay me down to sleep as one troubled. As for the sons of men, their teeth are weapons and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. Be Thou exalted above the heavens, O God, and Thy glory above all the earth. They have prepared a snare for my feet, and bowed down my soul. They have dug a pit before my face and have fallen into it themselves. Ready is my heart, O God, ready is my heart; I will sing and chant in my glory. Awake, O my glory; awake, O psaltery and harp; I myself will awake at dawn. I will confess Thee among the peoples, O Lord, I will chant unto Thee among the nations. For magnified even unto the heavens is Thy mercy, and Thy truth even unto the clouds. Be Thou exalted above the heavens, O God, and Thy glory above all the earth.

PSALM 57

For the End: Destroy not. By David; For a Pillar Inscription.

If ye indeed speak of righteousness, judge rightly, ye sons of men. For in your heart ye work iniquity in the earth; your hands weave unrighteousness. Even from the womb, sinners are estranged; even from the belly, they are gone astray, they have spoken lies. Their rage is like that of a serpent, like that of an asp that is deaf and stoppeth her ears, Which shall not hearken to the voice of the charmers, nor is spellbound by the spells of a wizard. God will shatter their teeth in their mouth, the great teeth of the lions the Lord hath broken. They shall vanish like passing waters; He will bend His bow till they be weakened. Like wax that is melted shall they be taken away; fire hath fallen upon them and they saw not the sun. Before your thorns can know their brier, while they are yet alive, in His wrath shall He swallow them up. The righteous man shall be glad, when he seeth the avengement, he shall wash his hands in the blood of the sinner. And man shall say: If indeed there is fruit for the righteous man, there is indeed a God that judgeth them upon the earth.

Stasis

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to Thee, O God. (Three times). Lord, have mercy. (Three times). Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

PSALM 58
For the End: Destroy not. By David; For a Pillar Inscription. When Saul Sent and Watched His House to Slay Him.

Rescue me from mine enemies, O God, and from them that rise up against me redeem me. Deliver me from them that work iniquity, and from men of blood do Thou save me. For lo, they have hunted after my soul, the mighty have set upon me. Neither is it mine iniquity, O Lord, nor my sin; without iniquity I ran, and directed my steps; arise to meet me, and behold. And Thou, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, be attentive to visit all the heathen; be not merciful to any that work iniquity. They shall return at evening, and shall hunger like dogs, and shall go round about the city. Behold, they shall utter sounds with their mouth, and a sword is in their lips: For who, say they, hath heard? And Thou, O Lord, shalt laugh them to scorn; Thou shalt bring to nought all the heathen. O my Strength, I will keep watch for Thee, for Thou, O God, art my helper. As for my God, His mercy shall go before me; my God shall make it manifest unto me among mine enemies. Slay them not, lest at any time they forget Thy law; scatter them by Thy power, and bring them down, O Lord my defender. The sin of their mouth is the speech of their lips; yea, let them be taken captive in their pride. And from their curse and falsehood shall their final destruction be made known in the wrath of their utter destruction, and they shall be no more. And they shall know that God is sovereign of Jacob and of the ends of the earth. They shall return at evening, and shall hunger like dogs, and shall go round about the city. They shall be scattered abroad that they may eat; if they be not satisfied, they shall murmur. But as for me, I will sing of Thy power; and in the morning I will rejoice in Thy mercy. For Thou art become my helper and my refuge in the day of my tribulation. Thou art my helper, unto Thee will I chant; for Thou, O God, art my helper; O my God, Thou art my mercy.

PSALM 59
For the End: Concerning Those Verses That Are to be Alternated; Furthermore, for the Pillar Inscription of David, for Instruction When He Had Burned Mesopotamia of Syria and Syrian Sobal, and Joab Had Returned and Had Smitten Edom. Even Twelve Thousand in the Valley of Salt.

O God, Thou hast cast off and hast destroyed us; Thou hast been wroth and hast had pity upon us. Thou madest the earth to quake and troubled it; heal the breaches thereof, for it hath been shaken. Thou hast shown Thy people hard things, Thou hast made us to drink the wine of contrition. Thou hast given a sign unto them that fear Thee, that they may flee from before the face of the bow. That Thy beloved ones may be delivered, save Thou with Thy right hand and hearken unto me. God hath spoken in His sanctuary: I will rejoice and I will divide Sikima, and the vale of tabernacles will I measure out. Mine is Galaad, and Mine is Manasses, and Ephraim is the strength of My head. Judah is My king, Moab is the cauldron of My hope. Upon Idumea will I stretch out My shoe; the foreign tribes have been subjected unto Me. Who will bring me into a fortified city? Or who will lead me into Idumea? Wilt Thou not, O God, Who hast spurned us? And wilt Thou not, O God, go forth with our forces? Give us help from affliction, for vain is the salvation of man. In God we shall work mighty deeds, and He will bring to nought them that afflict us.

PSALM 60
For the End: Among the Hymns of David.

Hearken, O God, unto my supplication; attend unto my prayer. From the ends of the earth unto Thee have I cried, when my heart was despondent; on a rock hast Thou lifted me on high. Thou hast guided me, for Thou art become my hope, a tower of strength against the face of the enemy. I will dwell in Thy tabernacle unto the ages, I shall be sheltered in the shelter of Thy wings. For Thou, O God, hast heard my prayers; Thou hast given an inheritance to them that fear Thy name. Days shalt Thou add to the days of the king, his years unto days for generation and generation. He shall abide before the face of God in the age to come. As for His mercy and truth, who shall seek them out? So will I chant unto Thy name unto the ages, that I may pay my vows from day to day.

Stasis

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to Thee, O God. (Three times). Lord, have mercy. (Three times). Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

PSALM 61
For the End: A Psalm of David Concerning Idithum.

Shall not my soul be subjected to God? For from Him is my salvation. For He is my God, my saviour and my helper, and I shall be shaken no more. How long do ye assail a man? Ye kill, all of you, as ye might assail a leaning wall and a tottering rampart. But they made plans to cast aside mine honour, they ran in falsehood; with their mouth they bless, but with their heart they curse. But be subject unto God, O my soul, for from Him is my patient endurance. For He is my God, my saviour and my helper, and I shall not be moved from hence. In God is my salvation and my glory; He is the God of my help, and my hope is in God. Hope in Him, all ye congregation of the peoples; pour out your hearts before Him, for God is our helper. For the sons of men are vain, the sons of men are a lie in the balance; out of vanity they gather themselves together that they might do injustice. Set not your hopes on injustice, and lust not after plunder; if riches flow in, set not your hearts thereon. Once hath God spoken; these two things have I heard, that dominion belongeth to God, and mercy is Thine, O Lord; for thou wilt render to every man according to his works.

PSALM 62
A Psalm of David. When He Was in the Wilderness of Judea.

O God, my God, unto Thee I rise early at dawn. My soul hath thirsted for Thee; how often hath my flesh longed after Thee in a land barren and untrodden and unwatered. So in the sanctuary have I appeared before Thee to see Thy power and Thy glory, For Thy mercy is better than lives; my lips shall praise Thee. So shall I bless Thee in my life, and in Thy name will I lift up my hands. As with marrow and fatness let my soul be filled, and with lips rejoicing shall my mouth praise Thee. If I remembered Thee on my bed, at the dawn I meditated on Thee. For Thou art become my helper; in the shelter of Thy wings will I rejoice. My soul hath cleaved after Thee, Thy right hand hath been quick to help me. But as for these, in vain have they sought after my soul; they shall go into the nethermost parts of the earth, they shall be surrendered unto the edge of the sword; portions for foxes shall they be. But the king shall be glad in God, everyone shall be praised that sweareth by Him; for the mouth of them is stopped that speak unjust things.

PSALM 63
For the End: A Psalm of David.

Hearken, O God, unto my prayer, when I make supplication unto Thee; rescue my soul from fear of the enemy. Shelter me from the concourse of them that do wickedness, from the multitude of them that work unrighteousness. They have sharpened their tongues like a sword, they have bent their bow, a bitter thing, that they may shoot in secret at the blameless man. Suddenly shall they shoot at him and shall not fear; they have strengthened themselves in a wicked word. They have spoken of hiding snares; they said: Who shall see them? They have searched after iniquity, in searching they are grown weary of searching. A man shall draw nigh, and the heart is deep; and God shall be exalted. As an arrow of infants are their blows, and their tongues are made strengthless against them. All that saw them were troubled, and every man was afraid. And they declared the works of God, and His deeds they understood. The righteous man shall be glad in the Lord, and shall hope in Him; and all the upright in heart shall be praised.

Final Stasis

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to Thee, O God. (Two times). Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia: Glory to Thee, O God our Hope, O Lord, glory be to Thee. Lord, have mercy. (Three times). Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Psalter copyright 1974 Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Boston, MA