Psalm 55
55
A Prayer for the Destruction of the Deceitful
To the chief Musician on Neg´inoth, Maschil, A Psalm of David.
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:#55.15 hell, Hebrew Sheol.
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.
21 The 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.
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Psalm 55: KJVAE
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King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.
Psalms 55
55
A Lament over Betrayal
1For the leader. On stringed instruments. A maskil of David.
I
2Listen, God, to my prayer;#Ps 5:2–3; 86:6; 130:1–2; Lam 3:56; Jon 2:3.
do not hide from my pleading;
3hear me and give answer.
I rock with grief; I groan
4at the uproar of the enemy,
the clamor of the wicked.
They heap trouble upon me,
savagely accuse me.
5My heart pounds within me;
death’s terrors fall upon me.
6Fear and trembling overwhelm me;
shuddering sweeps over me.
7I say, “If only I had wings like a dove
that I might fly away and find rest.#Ps 11:1.
8Far away I would flee;
I would stay in the desert.#Jer 9:1; Rev 12:6.
Selah
9“I would soon find a shelter
from the raging wind and storm.”
II
10Lord, check and confuse their tongues.
For I see violence and strife in the city
11making rounds on its walls day and night.
Within are mischief and trouble;
12treachery is in its midst;
oppression and fraud never leave its streets.#Jer 5:1; 6:6; Ez 22:2; Heb 1:3; Zep 3:1.
13For it is not an enemy that reviled me—
that I could bear—
Not a foe who viewed me with contempt,
from that I could hide.
14But it was you, my other self,
my comrade and friend,#Ps 41:10; Jer 9:3; Mt 26:21–24 par.
15You, whose company I enjoyed,
at whose side I walked
in the house of God.
III
16Let death take them;
let them go down alive to Sheol,#Ps 49:15; Nm 16:33; Prv 1:2; Is 5:14.
for evil is in their homes and bellies.
17But I will call upon God,
and the Lord will save me.
18At dusk, dawn, and noon
I will grieve and complain,
and my prayer will be heard.#Dn 6:11.
19He will redeem my soul in peace
from those who war against me,
though there are many who oppose me.
20God, who sits enthroned forever,#Ps 29:10; 93:2; Bar 3:3.
will hear me and afflict them.
Selah
For they will not mend their ways;
they have no fear of God.
21He stretched out his hand at his friends
and broke his covenant.
22Softer than butter is his speech,
but war is in his heart.
Smoother than oil are his words,
but they are unsheathed swords.#Ps 12:3; 28:3; 57:5; 62:5; 64:4; Prv 26:24–28; Jer 9:7.
23Cast your care upon the Lord,
who will give you support.
He will never allow
the righteous to stumble.#Ps 37:5; Prv 3:5; 16:3; 1 Pt 5:7.
24But you, God, will bring them down
to the pit of destruction.#Ps 28:1; 30:4; 40:3; 88:5; 143:7; Prv 1:12; Jon 2:7.
These bloodthirsty liars
will not live half their days,
but I put my trust in you.#Ps 25:2; 56:4; 130:5.
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