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57 [1] **For the chief musician, al tashhet*****·******,***** **apparently a reference to an ancient poem or melody on which this psalm is based. **An instruction by David, **written **when he was in the cave fleeing from Saul,** an incident described in I Samuel 24.** **
[2] **Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me. For in You I take refuge; in the shadow of Your wings I will shelter, until calamity passes. **
[3] **I cry out to God Most High, to the Almighty who completes for me. **The word *gomer*, translated here as “completes,” is interpreted by some commentators as if it were written *gomel*, meaning “who repays me for my good deeds.” If *gomer* is understood literally, it seems that David is asking God to bring his rescue to a successful conclusion. David’s situation in the meantime remains precarious; he has found no more than a temporary shelter.
[4] **May He send forth from heaven and deliver me, and put to shame those who desire my destruction, Selah. May God dispatch His kindness and His truth. **
[5] **I lie amid **men who are as ferocious as **lions, anxious beasts, among men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are a honed sword. **The people surrounding me are even more dangerous than beasts, because they are armed. Moreover, their mouths, through their slander and disparagement, are as perilous as actual weapons.
[6] The psalmist turns to God in prayer:* ***Rise above the heavens, God; let Your glory extend over all the earth. **
[7] **They prepared a net for me to step onto, to bend my spirit; they dug a pit before me,** **but **ultimately they themselves **fell into it, Selah. **
[8] From here, the psalm concludes with words of praise and gratitude:* ***My heart is ready, God, my heart is ready. I will sing and give praise. **
[9] **Awaken, my soul! Awaken, **my **harp and lyre** with which I sing God’s praises;** I will wake the dawn. **Even before daybreak I will begin to sing this psalm.
[10] **I will give thanks to You, my Lord, among the peoples; I will sing Your praise among the nations. **
[11] **For Your kindness is great, reaching to the heavens, Your truth, **in fulfillment of Your promise to protect me, **to the sky. **
[12] The psalm ends by repeating verse 6 as a refrain:* ***Rise above the heavens, God; let Your glory extend over all the earth. **
Version: The Steinsaltz Tanakh - English
Source: https://korenpub.com/collections/the-steinsaltz-tanakh/products/steinsaltz-tanakh
License: Copyright: Steinsaltz Center