Psalms 55

¹Give ear to my prayer, O God! Hide not thyself from my supplication!

²Attend unto me, and hear me! I wander about mourning and wailing,

³On account of the clamors of the enemy, On account of the violence of the wicked. For they bring evil upon me, And in wrath set themselves against me.

⁴My heart trembleth in my bosom, And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

⁵Fear and trembling have seized me, And horror hath overwhelmed me.

⁶Then I say, O that I had wings like a dove! For then would I fly away, and be at rest.

⁷Behold, I would wander far away, And take up my abode in a wilderness. [Pause.]

⁸I would hasten away to a shelter From the rushing wind and tempest.

⁹Confound, O Lord! divide their counsels! For I behold violence and strife in the city.

¹⁰Day and night do these go about its walls; In the midst of it are iniquity and mischief.

¹¹Wickedness is in the midst of it; Oppression and fraud depart not from its streets.

¹²It was not an enemy that reviled me, Then I could have borne it; Nor one that hated me, who rose up against me; From him I could have hid myself.

¹³But it was thou, a man my equal, My friend, and my acquaintance.

¹⁴We held sweet converse together, And walked to the house of God in company.

¹⁵May sudden death seize upon them! May they go down to the underworld alive! For wickedness is in their dwellings, in the midst of them.

¹⁶As for me, I will call upon God, And Jehovah will save me.

¹⁷At evening, at morn, and at noon I mourn and sigh, And he will hear my voice.

¹⁸He will deliver me in peace from my conflict; For many have risen up against me.

¹⁹God will hear me, and bring them down,—He that hath been judge of old. [Pause.] Because they have no changes, Therefore they fear not God.

²⁰They lift up their hands against their friend, And break their covenant with him.

²¹Their speech was softer than butter, But war was in their heart; Their words were smoother than oil, Yet were they drawn swords.

²²"Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he will sustain thee; He will never suffer the righteous to fall!"

²³Yea, thou, O God! wilt bring them down into the lowest pit! Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in thee!

Psalms 55

¹Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication.

²Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise;

³Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me.

⁴My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.

⁵Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.

⁶And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.

⁷Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah.

⁸I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.

⁹Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife in the city.

¹⁰Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof: mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it.

¹¹Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets.

¹²For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:

¹³But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.

¹⁴We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.

¹⁵Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.

¹⁶As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me.

¹⁷Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.

¹⁸He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.

¹⁹God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.

²⁰He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him: he hath broken his covenant.

²¹The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.

²²Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

²³But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.