Psalm 55

New King James Version

Trust in God Concerning the Treachery of Friends

To the Chief Musician. With ^[a]stringed instruments. A ^[b]Contemplation of David.

55 Give ear to my prayer, O God,
And do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
²Attend to me, and hear me;
I ^(A)am^[c] restless in my complaint, and moan noisily,
³Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the oppression of the wicked;
^(B)For they bring down trouble upon me,
And in wrath they hate me.

⁴^(C)My heart is severely pained within me,
And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
⁵Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me,
And horror has overwhelmed me.
⁶So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
⁷Indeed, I would wander far off,
And remain in the wilderness. Selah
⁸I would hasten my escape
From the windy storm and tempest.”

⁹Destroy, O Lord, and divide their ^[d]tongues,
For I have seen ^(D)violence and strife in the city.
¹⁰Day and night they go around it on its walls;
^(E)Iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it.
¹¹Destruction is in its midst;
^(F)Oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets.

¹²^(G)For it is not an enemy who reproaches me;
Then I could bear it.
Nor is it one who hates me who has ^(H)exalted himself against me;
Then I could hide from him.
¹³But it was you, a man my equal,
^(I)My companion and my acquaintance.
¹⁴We took sweet counsel together,
And ^(J)walked to the house of God in the throng.

¹⁵Let death seize them;
Let them ^(K)go down alive into ^[e]hell,
For wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.

¹⁶As for me, I will call upon God,
And the Lord shall save me.
¹⁷^(L)Evening and morning and at noon
I will pray, and cry aloud,
And He shall hear my voice.
¹⁸He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me,
For ^(M)there were many against me.
¹⁹God will hear, and afflict them,
^(N)Even He who abides from of old. Selah
Because they do not change,
Therefore they do not fear God.

²⁰He has ^(O)put forth his hands against those who ^(P)were at peace with him;
He has broken his ^[f]covenant.
²¹^(Q)The words of his mouth were smoother than butter,
But war was in his heart;
His words were softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn swords.

²²^(R)Cast your burden on the Lord,
And ^(S)He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be ^[g]moved.

²³But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction;
^(T)Bloodthirsty and deceitful men ^(U)shall not live out half their days;
But I will trust in You.

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