Psalm 56: What Time I Am Afraid, I Will Trust
A psalm of fear answered by deliberate, repeated trust in God.
Psalm 56 begins with enemies who 'swallow up' and fight daily, prompting the resolve of verse 3, examined at Psalms 56:3: 'What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.' It shares the tone of betrayal found in Psalms 55.
Be merciful unto me, O God; for man would swallow me up: All the day long he fighting oppresseth me.
Mine enemies would swallow me up all the day long; For they are many that fight proudly against me.
What time I am afraid, I will put my trust in thee.
In God (I will praise his word), In God have I put my trust, I will not be afraid; What can flesh do unto me?
All the day long they wrest my words: All their thoughts are against me for evil.
They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, They mark my steps, Even as they have waited for my soul.
Shall they escape by iniquity? In anger cast down the peoples, O God.
Thou numberest my wanderings: Put thou my tears into thy bottle; Are they not in thy book?
Then shall mine enemies turn back in the day that I call: This I know, that God is for me.
In God (I will praise `his' word), In Jehovah (I will praise `his' word),
In God have I put my trust, I will not be afraid; What can man do unto me?
Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render thank-offerings unto thee.
For thou hast delivered my soul from death: `Hast thou' not `delivered' my feet from falling, That I may walk before God In the light of the living? Psalm 57 For the Chief Musician; `set to' Al-tash-heth. `A Psalm' of David. Michtam; when he fled from Saul, in the cave.