Psalm 54–56

Psalm 54

PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE

For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David. When the Ziphites went and said to Saul, “Is David not hiding among us?”^c

¹God, save me by your name,

and vindicate me by your might!^d

²God, hear my prayer;

listen to the words from my mouth.^e

³For strangers rise up against me,

and violent men intend to kill me.

They do not let God guide them.^Af

Selah

⁴God is my helper;

the Lord is the sustainer of my life.^Bg

⁵He will repay my adversaries for their evil.

Because of your faithfulness, annihilate them.^h

⁶I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you.ⁱ

I will praise your name, Lord,

because it is good.^j

⁷For he has rescued me from every trouble,

and my eye has looked down on my enemies.^k

Psalm 55

BETRAYAL BY A FRIEND

For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.

¹God, listen to my prayer

and do not hide from my plea for help.^l

²Pay attention to me and answer me.^m

I am restless and in turmoil with my complaint,ⁿ

³because of the enemy’s words,^C

because of the pressure^D of the wicked.

For they bring down disaster on me

and harass me in anger.^o

⁴My heart shudders within me;^p

terrors of death sweep over me.

⁵Fear and trembling grip me;

horror has overwhelmed me.^q

⁶I said, “If only I had wings like a dove!

I would fly away and find rest.^r

⁷How far away I would flee;

I would stay in the wilderness.^s

Selah

⁸I would hurry to my shelter

from the raging wind and the storm.”^t

⁹Lord, confuse^E and confound their speech,^Fu

for I see violence and strife in the city;

¹⁰day and night they make the rounds on its walls.

Crime and trouble are within it;^v

¹¹destruction is inside it;

oppression and deceit never leave its marketplace.^w

¹²Now it is not an enemy who insults me—

otherwise I could bear it;

it is not a foe who rises up against me—

otherwise I could hide from him.

¹³But it is you, a man who is my peer,

my companion and good friend!^x

¹⁴We used to have close fellowship;

we walked with the crowd into the house of God.^y

¹⁵Let death take them by surprise;^z

let them go down to Sheol alive,

because evil is in their homes and within them.^aa

¹⁶But I call to God,

and the Lord will save me.^ab

¹⁷I complain and groan morning, noon, and night,^ac

and he hears my voice.^ad

¹⁸Though many are against me,

he will redeem me from my battle unharmed.^ae

¹⁹God, the one enthroned from long ago,^af

will hear and will humiliate them

Selah

because they do not change

and do not fear God.^a

²⁰My friend^b acts violently

against those at peace with him;^c

he violates his covenant.^d

²¹His buttery words are smooth,

but war is in his heart.

His words are softer than oil,

but they are drawn swords.^e

²²Cast your burden on the Lord,

and he will sustain you;^f

he will never allow the righteous to be shaken.^g

²³God, you will bring them down

to the Pit of destruction;^h

men of bloodshed and treachery

will not live out half their days.ⁱ

But I will trust in you.^j

Psalm 56

A CALL FOR GOD’S PROTECTION

For the choir director: according to “A Silent Dove Far Away.” A Miktam of David. When the Philistines seized him in Gath.^k

¹Be gracious to me, God, for a man is trampling me;

he fights and oppresses me all day long.

²My adversaries trample me all day,

for many arrogantly fight against me.^Al

³When I am afraid,

I will trust in you.^m

⁴In God, whose word I praise,

in God I trust; I will not be afraid.

What can mere mortals do to me?ⁿ

⁵They twist my words all day long;

all their thoughts against me are evil.^o

⁶They stir up strife,^B they lurk,

they watch my steps

while they wait to take my life.^p

⁷Will they escape in spite of such sin?

God, bring down the nations in wrath.^q

⁸You yourself have recorded my wanderings.^C

Put my tears in your bottle.

Are they not in your book?^r

⁹Then my enemies will retreat on the day when I call.^s

This I know: God is for me.^t

¹⁰In God, whose word I praise,

in the Lord, whose word I praise,

¹¹in God I trust; I will not be afraid.

What can mere humans do to me?^u

¹²I am obligated by vows^A to you, God;

I will make my thanksgiving sacrifices to you.^v

¹³For you rescued me from death,

even my feet from stumbling,

to walk before God in the light of life.^w