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 stringed instruments. A maskil of David. Listen, God, to my prayer. Don’t hide yourself from my pleading.
2 Attend to me, and answer me, I mourn in my (meditation) and make a noise,
Hear me, and answer; for bitter is my lament.
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.
I am wild with the noise of the foe, with the clamor of the ungodly; for they hurl disaster upon me, and attack me with fury.
4 My heart is pained within me, And terrors of death have fallen on me.
My heart shudders within me, terrors of deaths press on me,
5 Fear and trembling come in to me, And horror doth cover me.
fear and trembling attack me, and horror wraps me round.
6 And I say, 'Who doth give to me a pinion as a dove? I fly away and rest,
O for the wings of a dove: I would fly away and rest.
7 Lo, I move far off, I lodge in a wilderness. (Selah)
I would wander far away, find refuge in the wilderness. (Selah)
8 I hasten escape for myself, From a rushing wind, from a whirlwind.
I would find myself a shelter from raging wind and tempest.
9 Swallow up, O Lord, divide their tongue, For I saw violence and strife in a city.
Confuse them, Lord, upset their plans; for I see 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,
By day and by night they make their rounds on the city walls, while within is crime and trouble,
11 Mischiefs [are] in its midst. Fraud and deceit depart not from its street.
within is ruin. Her market-place is never free of deceit and tyranny.
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.
The taunts were not those of a foe that I could have borne; the disdain was not that of an enemy I could have shunned them:
13 But thou, a man — as mine equal, My familiar friend, and mine acquaintance.
but it was you, my equal, my dear and familiar friend.
14 When together we sweeten counsel, Into the house of God we walk in company.
We used to be so close, together we walked in God’s house with the crowd.
15 Desolations [are] upon them, They go down [to] Sheol — alive, For wickedness [is] in their dwelling, in their midst. (Sheol h7585)
May death suddenly take them, may they go down to Sheol alive, for evil lives in their homes and their hearts. (Sheol h7585)
16 I — to God I call, and Jehovah saveth me.
But I will call on God, the Lord will save me.
17 Evening, and morning, and noon, I meditate, and make a noise, and He heareth my voice,
Evening and morning and noon I lament and moan. He will hear 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.
though I am attacked by many he will rescue me, unharmed from the war.
19 God doth hear and afflict them, And He sitteth of old. (Selah) Because they have no changes, and fear not God,
God, who sits on his ancient throne will hear and will humble them, for they never change, they never fear God. (Selah)
20 He hath sent forth his hands against his well-wishers, He hath polluted his covenant.
My friend turned against me, betrayed his word.
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].
His mouth was smoother than butter, but war filled his heart. His words were softer than oil, but sharper than 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 your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you. He will never let the righteous be shaken.
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 you, God, will hurl them down to the deepest pit. Bloody and treacherous people will not live out half their days; but I will trust you.
