Psalms 55
1 To the Overseer with stringed instruments. — An instruction, by David. Give ear, O God, [to] my prayer, And hide not 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 in to me, And horror doth cover me.
Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.
6 And I say, 'Who doth give 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 Lo, 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 hasten 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 round 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 depart not from its street.
Wickedness is in the midst thereof; oppression and guile depart not from her broad place.
12 For an enemy reproacheth me not, or I bear [it], He who is hating me Hath 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 thou, a man — as mine equal, My familiar friend, and mine acquaintance.
But it was thou, a man mine equal, my companion, and my familiar friend;
14 When together we sweeten counsel, Into the house of God we walk in company.
We took sweet counsel together, in the house of God we walked with the throng.
15 Desolations [are] upon them, They go down [to] Sheol — alive, For wickedness [is] in their dwelling, in their midst. (Sheol h7585)
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 h7585)
16 I — to God I call, and Jehovah saveth 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 heareth my voice,
Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I complain, and moan; and He hath heard my voice.
18 He hath ransomed in peace my soul 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 doth hear and afflict them, And He sitteth of old. (Selah) Because they have no changes, and fear not 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 hath sent forth his hands against his well-wishers, He hath polluted his covenant.
He hath put forth his hands against them that were at peace with him; he hath profaned his covenant.
21 Sweeter than honey hath been his mouth, And his heart [is] war! Softer have been his words 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 Jehovah that which He hath given thee, And He doth sustain thee, He doth not suffer for ever the moving of the righteous.
Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He will sustain thee; He will never suffer the righteous to be moved.
23 And Thou, O God, dost bring them down To a pit of destruction, Men of blood and deceit reach not to half their days, And I — I do trust in Thee!
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.
