Psalms 55

Prayer for the Destruction of the Treacherous.

For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A
Possibly Contemplative, or Didactic, or Skillful Psalm
Maskil of David.

1 bGive ear to my prayer, O God;
And cdo not hide Yourself from my supplication.
2Give dheed to me and answer me;
I am restless in my ecomplaint and
Or I must moan
,
gam surely distracted,
3Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the hpressure of the wicked;
For they ibring down
Or wickedness
trouble upon me
And in anger they kbear a grudge against me.

4My lheart is in anguish within me,
And the terrors of mdeath have fallen upon me.
5Fear and ntrembling come upon me,
And
Lit shuddering
,
phorror has overwhelmed me.
6I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and
Lit settle down
,
rbe at rest.
7Behold, I would wander far away,
I would slodge in the wilderness.
Selah may mean: Pause, Crescendo or Musical interlude
Selah.
8I would hasten to my place of refuge
From the ustormy wind and tempest.”

9
Lit Swallow up
Confuse, O Lord, wdivide their tongues,
For I have seen xviolence and strife in the city.
10Day and night they go around her upon her walls,
And iniquity and mischief are in her midst.
11 yDestruction is in her midst;
zOppression and deceit do not depart from her
Or plaza
streets.

12For it is abnot an enemy who reproaches me,
Then I could bear it;
Nor is it one who hates me who achas exalted himself against me,
Then I could hide myself from him.
13But it is you, a man
Lit according to my valuation
my equal,
My aecompanion and my
Or acquaintance
,
agfamiliar friend;
14We who had sweet
Lit counsel; or intimacy
fellowship together
aiWalked in the house of God in the throng.
15Let
Another reading is desolations be upon them
death come akdeceitfully upon them;
Let them algo down alive to
I.e. the nether world
Sheol,
For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.

16As for me, I shall ancall upon God,
And the Lord will save me.
17 aoEvening and apmorning and at aqnoon, I will complain and murmur,
And He will hear my voice.
18He will arredeem my soul in peace
Or so that none may approach me
from the battle which is against me,
For they are atmany who strive with me.
19God will auhear and
Or afflict
answer them—
Even the one awwho
Or abides from
sits enthroned from of oldSelah.
With whom there
Lit are no changes
is no change,
And who azdo not fear God.
20He has put forth his hands against bathose who were at peace with him;
He has
Lit profaned
,
bcviolated his covenant.
21His
Lit mouth
speech was besmoother than butter,
But his heart was war;
His words were bfsofter than oil,
Yet they were drawn bgswords.

22 bhCast
Or what He has given you
your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;
bjHe will never allow the righteous to
Or totter
,
blbe shaken.
23But You, O God, will bring them down to the
Or lowest pit
,
bnpit of destruction;
boMen of bloodshed and deceit will bpnot live out half their days.
But I will bqtrust in You.

Copyright information for NASB1995