Psalms 55:1–23

^{To the director on stringed instruments. Mas′kil. Of David.}

¹Do give ear, O God, to my prayer;
And do not hide yourself from my request for favor.

²Do pay attention to me and answer me.
I am driven restlessly about by my concern,
And I cannot but show disquietude,
³Due to the voice of the enemy, because of the pressure of the wicked one.
For they keep dropping upon me what is hurtful,
And in anger they harbor animosity against me.

⁴My very heart is in severe pain within me,
And the frights of death itself have fallen upon me.

⁵Fear, yes, trembling itself enters into me,
And shuddering covers me.

⁶And I keep saying: “O that I had wings as a dove has!
I would fly away and reside.

⁷Look! I would go far away in flight;
I would lodge in the wilderness.—Se′lah—
⁸I would hasten to a place of escape for me
From the rushing wind, from the tempest.”

⁹Confuse, O Jehovah, divide their tongue,
For I have seen violence and disputing in the city.

¹⁰Day and night they go round about it upon its walls;
And hurtfulness and trouble are within it.

¹¹Adversities are within it;
And from its public square oppression and deception have not moved away.

¹²For it was not an enemy that proceeded to reproach me;
Otherwise I could put up with it.
It was not an intense hater of me that assumed great airs against me;
Otherwise I could conceal myself from him.

¹³But it was you, a mortal man who was as my equal,
One familiar to me and my acquaintance,
¹⁴Because we used to enjoy sweet intimacy together;
Into the house of God we used to walk with the throng.

¹⁵Desolations [be] upon them!
Let them go down into She′ol alive;
For during their alien residence bad things have been within them.

¹⁶As for me, to God I shall call out;
And Jehovah himself will save me.

¹⁷Evening and morning and noontime I cannot but show concern and I moan,
And he hears my voice.

¹⁸He will certainly redeem [and put] my soul in peace from the fight that is against me,
For in multitudes they have come to be against me.

¹⁹God will hear and answer them,
Even He that is sitting [enthroned] as in the past—Se′lah—
Those with whom there are no changings
And who have not feared God.

²⁰He has thrust out his hands against those at peace with him;
He has profaned his covenant.

²¹Smoother than butter are [the words of] his mouth,
But his heart is disposed to fight.
His words are softer than oil,
But they are drawn swords.

²²Throw your burden upon Jehovah himself,
And he himself will sustain you.
Never will he allow the righteous one to totter.

²³But you yourself, O God, will bring them down to the lowest pit.
As for bloodguilty and deceitful men, they will not live out half their days.
But as for me, I shall trust in you.