The Eastern Cross/Bible/Psalms/Psalm 58

The Book of Psalms · the Psalter

Psalm 58

Psalm 59 in the KJV and most English Bibles

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1

For the end. Destroy not: by David for a memorial, when Saul sent, and watched his house to kill him.

Εἰς τὸ τέλος, μὴ διαφθείρῃς, τῷ Δαυὶδ εἰς στηλογραφίαν, ὁπότε ἀπέστειλε Σαοὺλ, καὶ ἐφύλαξε τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ τοῦ θανατῶσαι αὐτόν.

2

Deliver me from mine enemies, O God; And ransom me from those that rise up against me.

Ἐξελοῦ με ἐκ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἐπανισταμένων ἐπʼ ἐμὲ λύτρωσαί με.

3

Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, And save me from bloody men.

Ῥῦσαί με ἐκ τῶν ἐργαζομένων τὴν ἀνομίαν, καὶ ἐξ ἀνδρῶν αἱμάτων σῶσόν με.

4

For, behold, they have hunted after my soul; Violent men have set upon me: Neither is it my iniquity, nor my sin, O Lord.

Ὅτι ἰδοὺ ἐθήρευσαν τὴν ψυχήν μου, ἐπέθεντο ἐπʼ ἐμὲ κραταιοί· οὔτε ἡ ἀνομία μου, οὔτε ἡ ἁμαρτία μου Κύριε·

5

Without iniquity I ran and directed my course aright: Awake to help me, and behold.

Ανευ ἀνομίας ἔδραμον καὶ κατεύθυνα· ἐξεγέρθητι εἰς συνάντησίν μου, καὶ ἴδε.

6

And thou, Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, Draw nigh to visit all the heathen; Pity not any that work iniquity. Pause.

Καὶ σὺ Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, πρόσχες τοῦ ἐπισκέψασθαι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, μὴ οἰκτειρήσῃς πάντας τοὺς ἐργαζομένους τὴν ἀνομίαν· διάψαλμα.

7

They shall return at evening, and hunger like a dog, and go round about the city.

Ἐπιστρέψουσιν εἰς ἑσπέραν, καὶ λιμώξουσιν ὡς κύων, καὶ κυκλώσουσιν πόλιν.

8

Behold, they shall utter a voice with their mouth, And a sword is in their lips; for who, say they, has heard?

Ἰδοὺ ἀποφθέγξονται ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν, καὶ ῥομφαία ἐν τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτῶν, ὅτι τίς ἤκουσε;

9

But thou, Lord, wilt laugh them to scorn; Thou wilt utterly set at nought all the heathen.

Καὶ δὺ Κύριε ἐκγελάσῃ αὐτοὺς, ἐξουδενώσεις τάντα τὰ ἔθνη.

10

I will keep my strength, looking to thee; For thou, O God, art my helper.

Τὸ κράτος μου πρὸς σὲ φυλάξω, ὅτι σὺ ὁ Θεὸς ἀντιλήμπτωρ μου εἶ.

11

As for my God, his mercy shall go before me: My God will show me vengeance on mine enemies.

Ὁ Θεός μου, τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ προφθάσει με, ὁ Θεός μου δείξει μοι ἐν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς μου.

12

Slay them not, lest they forget thy law; Scatter them by thy power; And bring them down, O Lord, my defender.

Μὴ ἀποκτείνῃς αὐτοὺς, μήποτε ἐπιλάθωνται τοῦ νόμου σου· διασκόρπισον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου, καὶ κατάγαγε αὐτοὺς ὁ ὑπερασπιστής μου Κύριε.

About these notes

Every note is a real passage, quoted word for word from a published English translation, with its source. Nothing here is summarised or written by us. Some verses have many notes and some have none, because the Fathers wrote more on some passages than others.

  • Blessed Augustine, Expositions on the Book of Psalms, tr. A. Cleveland Coxe from the Oxford translation, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888).
  • Scripture: the Septuagint, in the translation of Sir Lancelot Brenton (1851), with spelling updated by Adam Boyd (2020); the Greek is Brenton's Septuagint text.

All of these translations are in the public domain. The passages were matched to their verses by the Historical Christian Commentaries project, which also hosts the full texts we link to. The Fathers are a treasury of the Church's mind, and they are best read alongside the life of the Church: if a passage raises a question, bring it to your priest.