Psalms 55

The Hebrew Bible

55For the leader; with instrumental music. A maskil of David.

2Give ear, O God, to my prayer;

do not ignore my plea;

3pay heed to me and answer me.

I am tossed about, complaining and moaning

4at the clamor of the enemy,

because of the oppression of the wicked;

for they bring evil upon me

and furiously harass me.

5My heart is convulsed within me;

terrors of death assail me.

6Fear and trembling invade me;

I am clothed with horror.

7I said,

“O that I had the wings of a dove!

I would fly away and find rest;

8surely, I would flee far off;

I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah.

9I would soon find me a refuge

from the sweeping wind,

from the tempest.”

10O Lord, confound their speech, confuse it!

For I see lawlessness and strife in the city;

11day and night they make their rounds on its walls;

evil and mischief are inside it.

12Malice is within it;

fraud and deceit never leave its square.

13It is not an enemy who reviles me

—I could bear that;

it is not my foe who vaunts himself against me

—I could hide from him;

14but it is you, my equal,

my companion, my friend;

15sweet was our fellowship;

we walked together in God’s house.

16Let Him incite death against them;

may they go down alive into Sheol!

For where they dwell,

there evil is.

17As for me, I call to God;

the Lord will deliver me.

18Evening, morning, and noon,

I complain and moan,

and He hears my voice.

19He redeems me unharmed

from the battle against me;

it is as though many are on my side.

20God who has reigned from the first,

who will have no successor,

hears and humbles those who have no fear of God. Selah.

21He harmed his ally,

he broke his pact;

22his talk was smoother than butter,

yet his mind was on war;

his words were more soothing than oil,

yet they were drawn swords.

23Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you;

He will never let the righteous man collapse.

24For You, O God, will bring them down to the nethermost Pit—

those murderous, treacherous men;

they shall not live out half their days;

but I trust in You.

Tanakh, The Holy Scriptures, (Philadelphia, Jerusalem- Jewish Publication Society) 1985.