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, understanding for David. Hear, O God, my prayer, 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 hear me. I am grieved in my exercise; and am troubled,
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 enemy, and at the tribulation of the sinner. For they have cast iniquities upon me: and in wrath they were troublesome to me.
4 My heart is deeply wounded, and the fear of death has come on me.
My heart is troubled within me: and the fear of death is fallen upon me.
5 Fear and shaking have come over me, with deep fear I am covered.
Fear and trembling are come upon me: and darkness hath covered 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 a dove, and I will fly and be at rest?
7 I would go wandering far away, living in the waste land. (Selah)
Lo, I have gone far off flying away; and I abode in the wilderness.
8 I would quickly take cover from the driving storm and from the violent wind.
I waited for him that hath saved me from pusillanimity of spirit, and a storm.
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 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 shall iniquity surround it upon its walls: and in the midst thereof are labour,
11 Evil is there; cruel rule and deceit are ever in the streets.
And injustice. And usury and deceit have not departed 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 reviled me, I would verily have borne with it. And if he that hated me had spoken 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.
But thou a man of one mind, my guide, and my familiar,
14 We had loving talk together, and went to the house of God in company.
Who didst take sweetmeats together with me: in the house of God we walked with consent.
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 go down alive into hell. For there is wickedness in their dwellings: in the midst of them. (Sheol h7585)
16 As for me, I will make my prayer to God, and he will be my saviour.
But I have cried 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 at noon I will speak and declare: and he shall hear 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 shall redeem my soul in peace from them that draw near to me: for among 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 shall hear, and the Eternal shall 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 hath stretched forth his hand to repay. They have defiled 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 are divided by the wrath Of his countenance, and his heart hath drawn near. His words are smoother than oil, and the same are darts.
22 Put your cares on the Lord, and he will be your support; he will not let the upright man be moved.
Cast thy care upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall not suffer the just to waver for ever.
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.
But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction. Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee, O Lord.
