Psalms 55:1-19

¹For the chief musician; on stringed instruments. A maschil of David. Give ear to my prayer, God; and do not hide yourself from my plea.

²Pay attention to me and answer me; I have no rest in my troubles

³because of the voice of my enemies, because of the oppression of the wicked; for they bring trouble on me and persecute me in anger.

⁴My heart trembles within me, and the terrors of death have fallen on me.

⁵Fearfulness and trembling have come on me, and horror has overwhelmed me.

⁶I said, “Oh, if only I had wings like a dove! Then would I fly away and be at rest.

⁷See, then I would wander far away; I would stay in the wilderness. Selah

⁸I would hurry to a shelter from the stormy wind and tempest.”

⁹Devour them, Lord, confuse their language! For I have seen violence and strife in the city.

¹⁰Day and night they go about on its walls; iniquity and mischief are in the middle of it.

¹¹Wickedness is in the middle of it; oppression and deceit do not leave its streets.

¹²For it was not an enemy who rebuked me, then I could have borne it; neither was it he who hated me who raised himself up against me, then I would have hidden myself from him.

¹³But it was you, a man equal to myself, my companion and my close friend.

¹⁴We had sweet fellowship together; we walked in the house of God with the throng.

¹⁵Let death come suddenly on them; let them go down alive to Sheol, for wickedness is where they live, right among them.

¹⁶As for me, I will call on God, and Yahweh will save me.

¹⁷In the evening, morning and at noonday I complain and moan; he will hear my voice.

¹⁸He will safely rescue my life from the battle that was against me, for those who fought against me were many.

¹⁹God, the one who rules from eternity, will hear them and humiliate them. Selah They never change, and they do not fear God.