Psalms 55
1 To the chief music-maker, on Neginoth. Maschil. Of David. Give hearing to my prayer, O God; and let not your ear be shut against my request.
Unto the end. In verses, the understanding of David. Listen to my prayer, O God, and despise not my supplication.
2 Give thought to me, and let my prayer be answered: I have been made low in sorrow;
Be attentive to me, and heed me. I have been grieved in my training, and I have been disturbed
3 I am troubled because of the voice of the cruel ones, because of the loud cry of the evil-doers; for they put a weight of evil on me, and they are cruel in their hate for me.
at the voice of the adversary and at the tribulation of the sinner. For they have diverted iniquities toward me, and they have been harassing me with rage.
4 My heart is deeply wounded, and the fear of death has come on me.
My heart has become disturbed within me, and the dread of death has fallen over me.
5 Fear and shaking have come over me, with deep fear I am covered.
Fear and trembling have overwhelmed me, and darkness has buried me.
6 And I said, If only I had wings like a dove! for then I would go in flight from here and be at rest.
And I said, “Who will give me wings like the dove, so that I may fly away and take rest?”
7 I would go wandering far away, living in the waste land. (Selah)
Behold, I have fled far away, and I linger in solitude.
8 I would quickly take cover from the driving storm and from the violent wind.
I waited for him who saved me from a weak-minded spirit and from a tempest.
9 Send destruction on them, O Lord, make a division of tongues among them: for I have seen fighting and violent acts in the town.
Cast them down, O Lord, and divide their tongues. For I have seen iniquity and contradiction in the city.
10 By day and night they go round the town, on the walls; trouble and sorrow are in the heart of it.
Day and night, iniquity will surround it upon its walls, and hardship is in its midst,
11 Evil is there; cruel rule and deceit are ever in the streets.
with injustice. And usury and deceit have not fallen away from its streets.
12 For it was not my hater who said evil of me; that would have been no grief to me; it was not one outside the number of my friends who made himself strong against me, or I would have kept myself from him in a secret place;
For if my enemy had spoken evil about me, certainly, I would have sustained it. And if he who hated me had been speaking great things against me, I would perhaps have hidden myself from him.
13 But it was you, my equal, my guide, my well-loved friend.
Truly, you are a man of one mind: my leader and my acquaintance,
14 We had loving talk together, and went to the house of God in company.
who took sweet food together with me. In the house of God, we walked side-by-side.
15 Let the hand of death come on them suddenly, and let them go down living into the underworld; because evil is in their houses and in their hearts. (Sheol h7585)
Let death come upon them, and let them descend alive into Hellfire. For there is wickedness in their dwellings, in their midst. (Sheol h7585)
16 As for me, I will make my prayer to God, and he will be my saviour.
But I have cried out to God, and the Lord will save me.
17 In the evening and in the morning and in the middle of the day I will make my prayer with sounds of grief; and my voice will come to his ears.
Evening and morning and midday, I will discourse and announce, and he will heed my voice.
18 He has taken my soul away from the attack which was made against me, and given it peace; for great numbers were against me.
He will redeem my soul in peace from those who draw near to me. For, among the many, they were with me.
19 God will give thought to me; he who from early times is strong will send pain and trouble on them. (Selah) Because they are unchanged, they have no fear of God.
God will hear, and He who is before time will humble them. For there is no change with them, and they have not feared God.
20 He has put out his hand against those who were at peace with him; he has not kept his agreement.
He has stretched forth his hand in retribution. They have contaminated his covenant.
21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, but they were sharp swords.
They were divided by the wrath of his countenance, and his heart has drawn near. His words are smoother than oil, and they are arrows.
22 Put your cares on the Lord, and he will be your support; he will not let the upright man be moved.
Cast your cares upon the Lord, and he will nurture you. He will not allow the just to be tossed about forever.
23 But you, O God, will send them down into the underworld; the cruel and the false will be cut off before half their days are ended; but I will have faith in you.
Truly, O God, you will lead them away into the well of death. Bloody and deceitful men will not divide their days in half. But I will hope in you, O Lord.
