Psalm 55

¹Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication.

²Attend unto me, and answer me: I am restless in my complaint, and moan;

³Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked; for they cast iniquity upon me, and in anger they persecute me.

⁴My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.

⁵Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.

⁶And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! then would I fly away, and be at rest.

⁷Lo, then would I wander far off, I would lodge in the wilderness.

⁸I would haste me to a shelter from the stormy wind and tempest.

⁹Destroy, O Lord, anddivide their tongue: for I have seen violence and strife in the city.

¹⁰Day and night they go about upon the walls thereof: iniquity also and mischief are in the midst of it.

¹¹Wickedness is in the midst thereof: oppression and guile depart not from her streets.

¹²For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:

¹³But it was thou, a man mine equal, my companion, and my familiar friend.

¹⁴We took sweet counsel together, we walked in the house of God with the throng.

¹⁵Let death come suddenly upon them, let them go down alive into the pit: for wickedness is in their dwelling, in the midst of them.

¹⁶As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.

¹⁷Evening, and morning, and at noonday, will I complain, and moan: and he shall hear my voice.

¹⁸He hath redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for they were many that strovewith me.

¹⁹God shall hear, and answer them, even he that abideth of old,

the menwho have no changes, and who fear not God.

²⁰He hath put forth his hands against such as were at peace with him: he hath profaned his covenant.

²¹His mouth was smooth as butter, but his heart was war: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.

²²Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

²³But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.