Psalm 54:1–56:13

¹God, save me by Your name,

and vindicate me by Your might! ^m

²God, hear my prayer;

listen to the words of my mouth. ⁿ

³For strangers rise up against me,

and violent men seek my life.

They have no regard for God. ^opSelah

⁴God is my helper;

the Lord is the sustainer of my life. ^qr

⁵He will repay my adversaries for their evil.

Because of Your faithfulness, annihilate them. ^s

⁶I will sacrifice a freewill offering to You. ^t

I will praise Your name, Yahweh,

because it is good. ^u

⁷For He has delivered me from every trouble,

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

Psalm 55

Betrayal by a Friend

For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A Davidic Maskil.

¹God, listen to my prayer

and do not ignore ^wmy plea for help. ^x

²Pay attention to me and answer me. ^y

I am restless and in turmoil with my complaint, ^z

³because of the enemy’s voice,

because of the pressure ^aof the wicked.

For they bring down disaster on me ^b

and harass me in anger. ^c

⁴My heart shudders within me; ^d

terrors of death sweep over me.

⁵Fear and trembling grip me;

horror has overwhelmed me. ^e

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

I would fly away and find rest. ^g

⁷How far away I would flee;

I would stay in the wilderness. ^hSelah

⁸I would hurry to my shelter

from the raging wind and the storm.” ⁱ

⁹Lord, confuse ^jand confound their speech, ^kl

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; ^m

¹¹destruction is inside it;

oppression and deceit never leave its marketplace. ⁿ

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! ^o

¹⁴We used to have close fellowship;

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

¹⁵Let death take them by surprise; ^q

let them go down to Sheol alive,

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

¹⁶But I call to God,

and the Lord will save me. ^s

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

and He hears my voice. ^u

¹⁸Though many are against me,

He will redeem me from my battle unharmed. ^v

¹⁹God, the One enthroned from long ago, ^w

will hear and will humiliate them Selah

because they do not change

and do not fear God. ^x

²⁰My friend ^yacts violently

against those at peace with him; ^z

he violates his covenant. ^a

²¹His buttery words are smooth, ^b

but war is in his heart.

His words are softer than oil,

but they are drawn swords. ^c

²²Cast your burden on the Lord,

and He will sustain you; ^d

He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. ^e

²³God, You will bring them down

to the Pit of destruction; ^f

men of bloodshed and treachery

will not live out half their days. ^g

But I will trust in You. ^h

Psalm 56

A Call for God’s Protection

For the choir director: according to “A Silent Dove Far Away.” ⁱA Davidic Miktam. When the Philistines seized him in Gath. ^j

¹Be gracious to me, God, for man tramples me;

he fights and oppresses me all day long.

²My adversaries trample me all day,

for many arrogantly fight against me. ^kl

³When I am afraid,

I will trust in You. ^m

⁴In God, whose word I praise,

in God I trust; I will not fear.

What can man do to me? ⁿ

⁵They twist my words all day long;

all their thoughts against me are evil. ^o

⁶They stir up strife, ^pthey lurk;

they watch my steps

while they wait to take my life. ^q

⁷Will they escape in spite of such sin?

God, bring down the nations in wrath. ^r

⁸You Yourself have recorded my wanderings. ^s

Put my tears in Your bottle.

Are they not in Your records? ^t

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

This I know: God is for me. ^v

¹⁰In God, whose word I praise,

in the Lord, whose word I praise,

¹¹in God I trust; I will not fear.

What can man do to me? ^w

¹²I am obligated by vows ^xto You, God;

I will make my thank offerings to You. ^y

¹³For You delivered me from death,

even my feet from stumbling,

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