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.
To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, [A Psalm] of David. Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication.
2 Give thought to me, and let my prayer be answered: I have been made low in sorrow;
Attend to me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise;
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.
Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me.
4 My heart is deeply wounded, and the fear of death has come on me.
My heart is severely pained within me: and the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and shaking have come over me, with deep fear I am covered.
Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed 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, O that I had wings like a dove! [for then] I would fly away, and be at rest.
7 I would go wandering far away, living in the waste land. (Selah)
Lo, [then] I would wander far off, [and] remain in the wilderness. (Selah)
8 I would quickly take cover from the driving storm and from the violent wind.
I would hasten my escape from the windy storm [and] 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.
Destroy, O LORD, [and] divide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife 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 they go about it upon its walls: mischief also and sorrow [are] in the midst of it.
11 Evil is there; cruel rule and deceit are ever in the streets.
Wickedness [is] in the midst of it: deceit and guile depart not from her 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 [it was] not an enemy [that] reproached me; then I could have borne [it]: neither [was it] he that hated me [that] magnified [himself] against me; then I would have hid myself from him:
13 But it was you, my equal, my guide, my well-loved friend.
But [it was] thou, a man my equal, my guide, and my acquaintance.
14 We had loving talk together, and went to the house of God in company.
We took sweet counsel together, [and] walked to the house of God in company.
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 seize upon them, [and] let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness [is] in their dwellings, [and] among them. (Sheol h7585)
16 As for me, I will make my prayer to God, and he will be my saviour.
As for me, I will call upon 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, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he will 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 hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle [that was] against me: for there were many 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 afflict them, even he that abideth of old. (Selah) Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.
20 He has put out his hand against those who were at peace with him; he has not kept his agreement.
He hath put forth his hands against such as are at peace with him: he hath broken 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.
[The words] of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war [was] in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet [were] they drawn swords.
22 Put your cares on the Lord, and he will be your support; he will not let the upright man be moved.
Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he will sustain thee: he will never suffer the righteous to be moved.
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, wilt 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.
