Psalms 55
55
Psalm 55
For the choir director; on stringed instruments; a maskil by David.
1Open your ears to my prayer, O God.
Do not hide from my plea for mercy.
2Pay attention to me, and answer me.
My thoughts are restless, and I am confused
3because my enemy shouts at me
and a wicked person persecutes me.
They bring misery crashing down on me,
and they attack me out of anger.
4My heart is in turmoil.
The terrors of death have seized me.
5Fear and trembling have overcome me.
Horror has overwhelmed me.
6I said, “If only I had wings like a dove—
I would fly away and find rest.
7Indeed, I would run far away.
I would stay in the desert. Selah
8I would hurry to find shelter
from the raging wind and storm.”
9Completely confuse their language, O Lord,
because I see violence and conflict in the city.
10Day and night they go around on ⌞top of⌟ the city walls.
Trouble and misery are everywhere.
11Destruction is everywhere.
Oppression and fraud never leave the streets.#55:11 Or “its marketplace.”
12If an enemy had insulted me,
then I could bear it.
If someone who hated me had attacked me,
then I could hide from him.
13But it is you, my equal,
my best friend,
one I knew so well!
14We used to talk to each other in complete confidence
and walk into God’s house with the festival crowds.
15Let death suddenly take ⌞wicked people⌟!
Let them go into the grave while they are still alive,
because evil lives in their homes as well as in their hearts.
16But I call on God,
and the Lord saves me.
17Morning, noon, and night I complain and groan,
and he listens to my voice.
18With ⌞his⌟ peace, he will rescue my soul
from the war waged against me,
because there are many ⌞soldiers fighting⌟ against me.
19God will listen.
The one who has sat enthroned from the beginning
will deal with them. Selah
They never change. They never fear God.
20 ⌞My best friend⌟ has betrayed his friends.
He has broken his solemn promise.
21His speech is smoother than butter,
but there is war in his heart.
His words are more soothing than oil,
but they are like swords ready to attack.
22Turn your burdens over to the Lord,
and he will take care of you.
He will never let the righteous person stumble.
23But you, O God, will throw ⌞wicked people⌟ into the deepest pit.
Bloodthirsty and deceitful people will not live out half their days.
But I will trust you.
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Psalms 55: GW
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Psalms 55
55
Complaint about a Friend's Treachery
To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.
1Give ear to my prayer, O God;
do not hide yourself from my supplication.
2Attend to me, and answer me;
I am troubled in my complaint.
I am distraught 3by the noise of the enemy,
because of the clamor of the wicked.
For they bring#55.3 Cn Compare Gk: Heb they cause to totter trouble upon me,
and in anger they cherish enmity against me.
4My heart is in anguish within me,
the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5Fear and trembling come upon me,
and horror overwhelms me.
6And I say, “O that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;
7truly, I would flee far away;
I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
8I would hurry to find a shelter for myself
from the raging wind and tempest.”
9Confuse, O Lord, confound their speech;
for I see violence and strife in the city.
10Day and night they go around it
on its walls,
and iniquity and trouble are within it;
11ruin is in its midst;
oppression and fraud
do not depart from its marketplace.
12It is not enemies who taunt me—
I could bear that;
it is not adversaries who deal insolently with me—
I could hide from them.
13But it is you, my equal,
my companion, my familiar friend,
14with whom I kept pleasant company;
we walked in the house of God with the throng.
15Let death come upon them;
let them go down alive to Sheol;
for evil is in their homes and in their hearts.
16But I call upon God,
and the Lord will save me.
17Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he will hear my voice.
18He will redeem me unharmed
from the battle that I wage,
for many are arrayed against me.
19God, who is enthroned from of old, Selah
will hear, and will humble them—
because they do not change,
and do not fear God.
20My companion laid hands on a friend
and violated a covenant with me#55.20 Heb lacks with me
21with speech smoother than butter,
but with a heart set on war;
with words that were softer than oil,
but in fact were drawn swords.
22Cast your burden#55.22 Or Cast what he has given you on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.
23But you, O God, will cast them down
into the lowest pit;
the bloodthirsty and treacherous
shall not live out half their days.
But I will trust in you.
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New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.