Psalm 55

¹Hear my prayer, O God; *do not hide yourself from my petition.

²Listen to me and answer me; *I have no peace, because of my cares.

³I am shaken by the noise of the enemy *and by the pressure of the wicked;

⁴For they have cast an evil spell upon me *and are set against me in fury.

⁵My heart quakes within me, *and the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

⁶Fear and trembling have come over me, *and horror overwhelms me.

⁷And I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! *I would fly away and be at rest.

⁸I would flee to a far-off place *and make my lodging in the wilderness.

⁹I would hasten to escape *from the stormy wind and tempest.”

¹⁰Swallow them up, O Lord; confound their speech; *for I have seen violence and strife in the city.

¹¹Day and night the watchmen make their rounds upon her walls, *but trouble and misery are in the midst of her.

¹² There is corruption at her heart; *her streets are never free of oppression and deceit.

¹³For had it been an adversary who taunted me, then I could have borne it; *or had it been an enemy who vaunted himself against me, then I could have hidden from him.

¹⁴But it was you, a man after my own heart, *my companion, my own familiar friend.

¹⁵We took sweet counsel together, *and walked with the throng in the house of God.

¹⁶Let death come upon them suddenly; let them go down alive to the grave; *for wickedness is in their dwellings, in their very midst.

¹⁷But I will call upon God, *and the Lord will deliver me.

¹⁸In the evening, in the morning, and at noonday, I will complain and lament, *and he will hear my voice.

¹⁹He will bring me safely back from the battle waged against me; *for there are many who fight me.

²⁰God, who is enthroned of old, will hear me and bring them down; *they never change; they do not fear God.

²¹My companion stretched forth his hand against his comrade; *he has broken his covenant.

²²His speech is softer than butter, *but war is in his heart.

²³His words are smoother than oil, *but they are drawn swords.

²⁴Cast your burden upon the Lord, and he will sustain you; *he will never let the righteous stumble.

²⁵For you will bring the bloodthirsty and deceitful *down to the pit of destruction, O God.

²⁶They shall not live out half their days, *but I will put my trust in you.