Psalm 55

New International Version

Psalm 55^[a]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil^[b] of David.

¹Listen to my prayer, O God,
    do not ignore my plea;^(A)
²    hear me and answer me.^(B)
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught^(C)
³    because of what my enemy is saying,
    because of the threats of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering on me^(D)
    and assail^(E) me in their anger.^(F)

⁴My heart is in anguish^(G) within me;
    the terrors^(H) of death have fallen on me.
⁵Fear and trembling^(I) have beset me;
    horror^(J) has overwhelmed me.
⁶I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
    I would fly away and be at rest.
⁷I would flee far away
    and stay in the desert;^[c]^(K)
⁸I would hurry to my place of shelter,^(L)
    far from the tempest and storm.^(M)”

⁹Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,^(N)
    for I see violence and strife^(O) in the city.^(P)
¹⁰Day and night they prowl^(Q) about on its walls;
    malice and abuse are within it.
¹¹Destructive forces^(R) are at work in the city;
    threats and lies^(S) never leave its streets.

¹²If an enemy were insulting me,
    I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
    I could hide.
¹³But it is you, a man like myself,
    my companion, my close friend,^(T)
¹⁴with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship^(U)
    at the house of God,^(V)
as we walked about
    among the worshipers.

¹⁵Let death take my enemies by surprise;^(W)
let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,^(X)
for evil finds lodging among them.

¹⁶As for me, I call to God,
    and the Lord saves me.
¹⁷Evening,^(Y) morning^(Z) and noon^(AA)
    I cry out in distress,
    and he hears my voice.
¹⁸He rescues me unharmed
    from the battle waged against me,
    even though many oppose me.
¹⁹God, who is enthroned from of old,^(AB)
    who does not change—
he will hear^(AC) them and humble them,
    because they have no fear of God.^(AD)

²⁰My companion attacks his friends;^(AE)
    he violates his covenant.^(AF)
²¹His talk is smooth as butter,^(AG)
    yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,^(AH)
    yet they are drawn swords.^(AI)

²²Cast your cares on the Lord
    and he will sustain you;^(AJ)
he will never let
    the righteous be shaken.^(AK)
²³But you, God, will bring down the wicked
    into the pit^(AL) of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful^(AM)
    will not live out half their days.^(AN)

But as for me, I trust in you.^(AO)

Footnotes

Psalm 55:1 In Hebrew texts 55:1-23 is numbered 55:2-24.
Psalm 55:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Psalm 55:7 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and in the middle of verse 19.