Psalms 56
Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel
Psalms chapter 56 is given here in full, verse by verse, in Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), with the Greek text of the Septuagint set beneath each verse. The text follows the Septuagint tradition received throughout the Orthodox Church.
10 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from Saint Augustine of Hippo.
Psalms 56
1(57) For the end. Destroy not: by David, for a memorial, when he fled from the presence of Saul to the cave.Εἰς τὸ τέλος, μὴ διαφθείρῃς, τῷ Δαυὶδ εἰς στηλογραφίαν, ἐν τῷ αὐτὸν ἀποδιδράσκειν ἀπὸ προσώπου Σαοὺλ εἰς τὸ σπήλαιον.
2Have mercy, upon me, O God, have mercy upon me: for my soul has trusted in you: and in the shadow of your wings will I hope, until the iniquity have passed away.Ἐλέησον με ὁ Θεὸς, ἐλέησόν με, ὅτι ἐπὶ σοὶ πέποιθεν ἡ ψυχή μου, καὶ ἐν τῇ σκιᾷ τῶν πτερύγων σου ἐλπιῶ, ἕως οὗ παρέλθῃ ἡ ἀνομία.
3I will cry to God most high; the God who has benefited me. Pause.Κεκράξομαι πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν τὸν ὕψιστον τὸν Θεὸν τὸν εὐεργετήσαντά με· διάψαλμα.
4He sent from heaven and saved me; he gave to reproach them that trampled on me: God has sent forth his mercy and his truth;Ἐξαπέστειλεν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἔσωσέ με, ἔδωκεν εἰς ὄνειδος τοὺς καταπατοῦντάς με· ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν αὐτοῦ,
5and he has delivered my soul from the midst of lions'whelps: I lay down to sleep, though troubled. As for the sons of men, their teeth are arms and missile weapons, and their tongue a sharp sword.καὶ ἐῤῥύσατο τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐκ μέσου σκύμνων· ἐκοιμήθην τεταραγμένος· υἱοὶ ἀνθρώπων, οἱ ὀδόντες αὐτῶν, ὅπλον καὶ βέλη, καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα αὐτῶν, μάχαιρα ὀξεῖα.
6Be you exalted, O God, above the heavens; and your glory above all the earth.Ὑψώθητι ἐπὶ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἡ δόξα σου.
7They have prepared snares for my feet, and have bowed down my soul: they have dug a pit before my face, and fallen into it themselves. Pause.Παγίδας ἡτοίμασαν τοῖς ποσί μου, καὶ κατέκαμψαν τὴν ψυχήν μου· ὤρυξαν πρὸ προσώπου μου βόθρον, καὶ ἐνέπεσαν εἰς αὐτόν· διάψαλμα.
8My heart, O God, is ready, my heart is ready: I will sing, yes will sing psalms.Ἑτοίμη ἡ καρδία μου ὁ Θεὸς, ἑτοίμη ἡ καρδία μου, ᾄσομαι καὶ ψαλῶ.
9Awake, my glory; awake, lute and harp: I will awake early.Ἐξεγέρθητι ἡ δόξα μου, ἐξεγέρθητι ψαλτήριον καὶ κιθάρα, ἐξεγερθήσομαι ὄρθρου.
10O Lord, I will give thanks to you among the nations: I will sing to you among the Gentiles.Ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι ἐν λαοῖς Κύριε, ψαλῶ σοι ἐν ἔθνεσιν.
11For your mercy has been magnified even to the heavens, and your truth to the clouds.Ὅτι ἐμεγαλύνθη ἕως τῶν οὐρανῶν τὸ ἔλεός σου, καὶ ἕως τῶν νεφελῶν ἡ ἀλήθειά σου.
12Be you exalted, O God, above the heavens; and your glory above all the earth.Ὑψώθητι ἐπὶ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἡ δόξα σου.
The Fathers on Psalms 56
Saint Augustine of Hippo comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Psalms 56:2Saint Augustine of Hippo5. “Have pity on me, O God, have pity on me, for in Thee hath trusted my Soul” (ver. 1). Christ in the Passion saith, “Have pity on Me, O God.” To God, God saith, “Have pity on Me!” He that with the Father hath pity on thee, in thee crieth, “Have pity on Me.” For that part of Him which is crying, “Have pity on Me,” is thine: from thee this He received, for the sake of thee, that thou shouldest be delivered, with…
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On Psalms 56:3Saint Augustine of Hippo6. “I will cry to God most high” (ver. 2). If most high He is, how heareth He thee crying? Confidence hath been engendered by experience: “to God,” he saith, “who had done good to me.” If before that I was seeking Him, He did good to me, when I cry shall He not hearken to me? For good to us the Lord God hath done in sending to us our Saviour Jesus Christ, that He might die for our offences, and rise again for our…
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On Psalms 56:4Saint Augustine of Hippo7. “He hath sent from heaven and hath saved me” (ver. 3). Now the Man Himself, now the Flesh Itself, now the Son of God after His partaking of ourselves, of Him it is manifest, how He was saved, and hath sent from heaven the Father and hath saved Him, hath sent from heaven, and hath raised Him again: but in order that ye may know, that also the Lord Himself hath raised again Himself; both truths are written in…
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On Psalms 56:5Saint Augustine of Hippo9. “And hath drawn out,” he saith, “my soul from the midst of the lions’ whelps” (ver. 4). Why sayest thou, “And hath drawn out my soul”? For what hadst thou suffered, that thy soul should be drawn out? “I have slept troubled.” Christ hath intimated His death.…
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On Psalms 56:5Saint Augustine of Hippo10. Whence “troubled”? Who troubling? Let us see in what manner he brandeth an evil conscience upon the Jews, wishing to excuse themselves of the slaying of the Lord. For to this end, as the Gospel speaketh, to the judge they delivered Him, that they might not themselves seem to have killed Him.…Let us question Him, and say, since Thou hast slept troubled, who have persecuted Thee? who have slain Thee? was it…
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On Psalms 56:6Saint Augustine of Hippo11. And what have they done to Thee, O Lord? Let the Prophet here exult! For above, all those verses the Lord was speaking: a Prophet indeed, but in the person of the Lord, because in the Prophet is the Lord.…“Be exalted,” he saith, “above the Heavens, O God.” Man on the Cross, and above the Heavens, God. Let them continue on the earth raging, Thou in Heaven be judging. Where are they that were raging? where are…
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On Psalms 56:7Saint Augustine of Hippo12. …Let your Love see the Lord speaking to us, and exhorting us by His example: “A trap they have prepared for My feet, and have bowed down My Soul” (ver. 7). They wished to bring It down as if from Heaven, and to the lower places to weigh It down: “They have bowed My Soul: they have digged before My face a pit and themselves have fallen into it.” Me have they hurt, or themselves? Behold He hath been exalted…
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On Psalms 56:8Saint Augustine of Hippo13. But the patience of good men with preparation of heart accepteth the will of God: and glorieth in tribulations, saying that which followeth: “Prepared is my heart, O God, I will sing and play” (ver. 8). What hath he done to me? He hath prepared a pit, my heart is prepared. He hath prepared pit to deceive, shall I not prepare heart to suffer? He hath prepared pit to oppress, shall I not prepare heart to…
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On Psalms 56:9Saint Augustine of Hippo14. “Rise up, my glory” (ver. 9). He that had fled from the face of Saul into a cavern, saith, “Rise up, my glory:” glorified be Jesus after His Passion. “Rise up, psaltery and harp.” He calleth upon what to rise? Two organs I see: but Body of Christ one I see, one flesh hath risen again, and two organs have risen. The one organ then is the psaltery, the other the harp. Organs is the word used for all instruments…
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On Psalms 56:11–12Open Psalms 56 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Saint Augustine of Hippo15. Therefore there hath risen psaltery and harp in the dawn, and he confesseth to the Lord; and saith what? “I will confess to Thee among the peoples, O Lord, and will play to Thee among the nations: for magnified even unto the Heavens hath been Thy mercy, and even unto the clouds Thy truth” (ver. 10). Heavens above clouds, and clouds below heavens: and nevertheless to this nearest heaven belong clouds. But…
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