Psalms 55

Prayer for the Destruction of the Treacherous.

For the music director; on stringed instruments. A ▼

▼Possibly Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm

Maskil of David.

1 ^bListen to my prayer, God;
And ^cdo not hide Yourself from my pleading.
2 Give Your ^dattention to me and answer me;
I am restless in my ^ecomplaint and ▼

▼Another reading is I must moan

, ^gseverely distracted,
3 Because 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 ^khold a grudge against me.

4 My ^lheart is in anguish within me,
And the terrors of ^mdeath have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and ⁿtrembling come upon me,
And ▼

▼Lit shuddering

, ^phorror has ▼

▼Lit covered

overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and ▼

▼Lit settle down

, ^sbe at rest.
7 “Behold, I would flee far away,
I would ^tspend my nights in the wilderness. Selah
8 “I would hurry to my place of refuge
From the ^ustormy wind and heavy gale.”

9 Confuse them, Lord, ^vdivide their tongues,
For I have seen ^wviolence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around her upon her walls,
And evil and harm are in her midst.
11 ^xDestruction is in her midst;
^yOppression and deceit do not depart from her ▼

▼Or plaza

streets.

12 For it is ^aanot an enemy who taunts me,
Then I could endure it;
Nor is it one who hates me who ^abhas exalted himself against me,
Then I could hide myself from him.
13 But it is you, a man ▼

▼Lit according to my valuation

my equal,
My ^adcompanion and my ^aeconfidant;
14 We who had sweet ▼

▼Lit counsel; or intimacy

fellowship together,
^agWalked in the house of God among the commotion.
15 May ▼

▼Another reading is devastation be upon them

death come ^aideceitfully upon them;
May they ^ajgo down alive to ▼

▼I.e., the netherworld

Sheol,
For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.

16 As for me, I shall ^alcall upon God,
And the Lord will save me.
17 ^amEvening and ^anmorning and at ^aonoon, I will complain and moan,
And He will hear my voice.
18 He will ^apredeem my soul in peace ▼

▼Or so that none may approach me

from the battle which is against me,
For they are ^armany who are aggressive toward me.
19 God will ^ashear and humiliate them--
Even the one ^atwho ▼

▼Or remains from

sits enthroned from ancient times-- Selah
With whom there ▼

▼Lit are no changes

is no change,
And who ^awdo not fear God.
20 He has put forth his hands against ^axthose who were at peace with him;
He has ▼

▼Lit profaned

, ^azviolated his covenant.
21 His ▼

▼Lit mouth

speech was ^bbsmoother than butter,
But his heart was war;
His words were ^bcsofter than oil,
Yet they were drawn ^bdswords.

22 ^beCast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;
^bfHe will never allow the righteous to ▼

▼Or totter

, ^bhbe shaken.
23 But You, God, will bring them down to the ^bipit of destruction;
^bjMen of bloodshed and deceit will ^bknot live out half their days.
But I will ^bltrust in You.