Psalm 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.

² Attend to me, and answer me, I mourn in my meditation, and make a noise,

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.

⁴ My heart is pained within me, And terrors of death have fallen on me.

⁵ Fear and trembling come in to me, And horror doth cover me.

⁶ And I say, ‘Who doth give to me a pinion as a dove? I fly away and rest,

⁷ Lo, I move far off, I lodge in a wilderness. Selah.

⁸ I hasten escape for myself, From a rushing wind, from a whirlwind.

⁹ Swallow up, O Lord, divide their tongue, For I saw violence and strife in a city.

¹⁰ By day and by night they go round it, on its walls. Both iniquity and perverseness [are] in its midst,

¹¹ Mischiefs [are] in its midst. Fraud and deceit depart not from its street.

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.

¹³ But thou, a man — as mine equal, My familiar friend, and mine acquaintance.

¹⁴ When together we sweeten counsel, Into the house of God we walk in company.

¹⁵ Desolations [are] upon them, They go down [to] Sheol — alive, For wickedness [is] in their dwelling, in their midst.

¹⁶ I — to God I call, and Jehovah saveth me.

¹⁷ Evening, and morning, and noon, I meditate, and make a noise, and He heareth 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.

¹⁹ God doth hear and afflict them, And He sitteth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, and fear not God,

²⁰ He hath sent forth his hands against his well-wishers, He hath polluted 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].

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.

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!