< Psalms 55 >
1 TO THE OVERSEER. WITH STRINGED INSTRUMENTS. AN INSTRUCTION OF DAVID. Give ear, O God, [to] my prayer, And do not hide from my supplication.
For the Leader; with string-music. Maschil of David. Give ear, O God, to my prayer; and hide not Thyself from my supplication.
2 Attend to me, and answer me, I mourn in my (meditation) and make a noise,
Attend unto me, and hear me; I am distraught in my complaint, and will moan;
3 Because of the voice of an enemy, Because of the oppression of the wicked, For they cause sorrow to move against me, And in anger they hate me.
Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked; for they cast mischief upon me, and in anger they persecute me.
4 My heart is pained within me, And terrors of death have fallen on me.
My heart doth writhe within me; and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.
5 Fear and trembling come to me, And horror covers me.
Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.
6 And I say, “Who gives to me a pinion as a dove?” I fly away and rest,
And I said: 'Oh that I had wings like a dove! then would I fly away, and be at rest.
7 Behold, I move far off, I lodge in a wilderness. (Selah)
Lo, then would I wander far off, I would lodge in the wilderness. (Selah)
8 I hurry escape for myself, From a rushing wind, from a whirlwind.
I would haste me to a shelter from the stormy wind and tempest.'
9 Swallow up, O Lord, divide their tongue, For I saw violence and strife in a city.
Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongue; for I have seen violence and strife in the city.
10 By day and by night they go around it, on its walls. Both iniquity and perverseness [are] in its midst,
Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof; iniquity also and mischief are in the midst of it.
11 Mischiefs [are] in its midst. Fraud and deceit do not depart from its street.
Wickedness is in the midst thereof; oppression and guile depart not from her broad place.
12 For an enemy does not reproach me, or I bear [it], He who is hating me Has not magnified himself against me, Or I hide from him.
For it was not an enemy that taunted me, then I could have borne it; neither was it mine adversary that did magnify himself against me, then I would have hid myself from him.
13 But you, a man—as my equal, My familiar friend, and my acquaintance.
But it was thou, a man mine equal, my companion, and my familiar friend;
14 When together we sweeten counsel, We walk into the house of God in company.
We took sweet counsel together, in the house of God we walked with the throng.
15 Desolations [are] on them, They go down [to] Sheol—alive, For wickedness [is] in their dwelling, in their midst. (Sheol )
May He incite death against them, let them go down alive into the nether-world; for evil is in their dwelling, and within them. (Sheol )
16 I call to God, and YHWH saves me.
As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.
17 Evening, and morning, and noon, I meditate, and make a noise, and He hears my voice,
Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I complain, and moan; and He hath heard my voice.
18 He has ransomed my soul in peace From him who is near to me, For with the multitude they were with me.
He hath redeemed my soul in peace so that none came nigh me; for they were many that strove with me.
19 God hears and afflicts them, And He sits of old. (Selah) Because they have no changes, and do not fear God,
God shall hear, and humble them, even He that is enthroned of old, (Selah) such as have no changes, and fear not God.
20 He has sent forth his hands against his well-wishers, He has defiled his covenant.
He hath put forth his hands against them that were at peace with him; he hath profaned his covenant.
21 His mouth has been sweeter than honey, And his heart [is] war! His words have been softer than oil, And they [are] drawn [swords].
Smoother than cream were the speeches of his mouth, but his heart was war; his words were softer than oil, yet were they keen-edged swords.
22 Cast on YHWH that which He has given you, And He sustains you, He does not permit the moving of the righteous forever.
Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He will sustain thee; He will never suffer the righteous to be moved.
23 And You, O God, bring them down To a pit of destruction, Men of blood and deceit do not reach to half their days, And I trust in You!
But Thou, O God, wilt bring them down into the nethermost pit; men of blood and deceit shall not live out half their days; but as for me, I will trust in Thee.