Psalm 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.^a

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.