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 chief musician; on stringed instruments. A maschil of David. Give ear to my prayer, God; and do not hide yourself from my plea.
2 Attend to me, and answer me, I mourn in my (meditation) and make a noise,
Pay attention to me and answer me; I have no rest in my troubles
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 my enemies, because of the oppression of the wicked; for they bring trouble on me and persecute me in anger.
4 My heart is pained within me, And terrors of death have fallen on me.
My heart trembles within me, and the terrors of death have fallen on me.
5 Fear and trembling come in to me, And horror doth cover me.
Fearfulness and trembling have come on me, and horror has overwhelmed me.
6 And I say, 'Who doth give to me a pinion as a dove? I fly away and rest,
I said, “Oh, if only 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)
See, then I would wander far away; I would stay in the wilderness. (Selah)
8 I hasten escape for myself, From a rushing wind, from a whirlwind.
I would hurry 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.
Devour them, Lord, confuse their language! 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 on its walls; iniquity and mischief are in the middle of it.
11 Mischiefs [are] in its midst. Fraud and deceit depart not from its street.
Wickedness is in the middle of it; oppression and deceit do not leave its streets.
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 who rebuked me, then I could have borne it; neither was it he who hated me who raised himself up against me, then I would have hidden myself from him.
13 But thou, a man — as mine equal, My familiar friend, and mine acquaintance.
But it was you, a man equal to myself, my companion and my close friend.
14 When together we sweeten counsel, Into the house of God we walk in company.
We had sweet fellowship together; we walked in the house of God 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)
Let death come suddenly on them; let them go down alive to Sheol, for wickedness is where they live, right among them. (Sheol h7585)
16 I — to God I call, and Jehovah saveth me.
As for me, I will call on God, and Yahweh will save me.
17 Evening, and morning, and noon, I meditate, and make a noise, and He heareth my voice,
In the evening, morning and at noonday I complain 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.
He will safely rescue my life from the battle that was against me, for those who fought against me were many.
19 God doth hear and afflict them, And He sitteth of old. (Selah) Because they have no changes, and fear not God,
God, the one who rules from eternity, will hear them and humiliate them. (Selah) They never change, and they do not fear God.
20 He hath sent forth his hands against his well-wishers, He hath polluted his covenant.
My friend has raised his hands against those who were at peace with him; he has not respected the covenant that he had.
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 smooth as butter, but his heart was hostile; his words were softer than oil, yet they were actually drawn 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.
Place your burdens on Yahweh, and he will sustain you; he will never allow a righteous person to totter.
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 bring the wicked down into the pit of destruction; bloodthirsty and deceitful men will not live even half as long as others, but I will trust in you.
