Psalms

55 Give ear to my prayer, God,

and do not disregard my petition.

2 Listen to me and answer me:

I range about in my anxiety and am perturbed

3 At an enemy’s voice,

at a wrong-doer’s growl,

Because they are launching villainy against me

and pursuing an angry grudge against me.

4 My heart is convulsed within me

and terrors of death have fallen upon me,

5 Fear and quaking come into me

and a cold sweat has covered me,

6 And I think “If only I had wings like a dove!

I would fly off, would light,

7 Here I would flit far away,

would be in the wilderness for the night, (Selah)

8 Would make haste to some retreat

from driving wind, from tempest.”

9 Make a sweep, Lord! divide their tongues,

because I have seen outrage and feud in the city,

10 By day and by night going round it on its walls,

and villainy and mischief are within it.

11 It has malignity within it,

and extortion and fraud never budge out of its square.

12 For it is not an enemy that insults me;

I would bear it;

It was not my hater that swaggered against me;

I would veil my face from him;

13 But you, a man in my own class,

my comrade and my intimate—

14 We that used to have delightful intercourse,

to consort together at the house of God.

15 May death crash down on them!

may they go down alive to the world below!

for they had evil in their lockers, in their breasts.

16 For me, I will call to God

and Jehovah will save me.

17 Evening and morning and noon

I will grieve and plead that he may hear my voice.

18 He has brought off my life safe and sound

from those who were in ambush for me, near as they were to me.

19 Deity will hear

and he who is enthroned of old will tame them, (Selah)

Those for whom there are no changes

and who do not fear God.

21 His face was smoother than clabber,

but his heart was war;

His words were softer than oil,

but drawn swords were they.

23 And you, God, will send them down to the abysmal pit; cutthroats and cheats will not live half their time,

but I rest confident in you.