Psalm 55

Modern

Literal

Cast Your Burden upon the LORD

¹For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Maskil^a of David.

Listen to my prayer, O God,

and do not ignore my plea.

¹For the one directing. With stringed instruments. A Maskil of David. Turn your ear, O God, to my prayer, and do not hide Yourself from my supplication.

²Attend to me and answer me.

I am restless in my complaint,

and distraught

²Be attentive to me, and answer me; for I am restless in my complaint, and make a noise,

³at the voice of the enemy,

at the pressure of the wicked.

For they bring down disaster upon me

and resent me in their anger.

³from the voice of the enemy, from the face of the oppression of the wicked. For they bring down trouble upon me, and in anger they hate me.

⁴My heart pounds within me,

and the terrors of death assail me.

⁴My heart is writhing within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

⁵Fear and trembling grip me,

and horror has overwhelmed me.

⁵Fear and trembling have come upon me, and shuddering has covered me.

⁶I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!

I would fly away and find rest.

⁶And I said, “Who shall give to me a wing like a dove, that I might fly away and be at rest—

⁷How far away I would flee!

In the wilderness I would remain.

Selah

⁷behold, I would go far off wandering and would lodge in the wilderness. Selah

⁸I would hurry to my shelter,

far from this raging tempest.”

⁸I would hurry to shelter for myself, from the rushing wind, from the tempest.”

⁹O Lord, confuse and confound their speech,

for I see violence and strife in the city.

⁹Swallow up, O Lord, divide their tongues! For I have seen violence and strife in the city.

¹⁰Day and night they encircle the walls,

while malice and trouble lie within.

¹⁰Day and night they go around it, on its walls, and iniquity and trouble are within it.

¹¹Destruction is within;

oppression and deceit never leave the streets.

¹¹Disasters are within it, and oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets.

¹²For it is not an enemy who insults me;

that I could endure.

It is not a foe who rises against me;

from him I could hide.

¹²For it is not an enemy who scorns me, or I could bear it; and not one hating me who wielded power against me, or I could hide myself from him.

¹³But it is you, a man like myself,

my companion and close friend.

¹³And it was you, a man like me in rank, my companion, and one known by me,

¹⁴We shared sweet fellowship together;

we walked with the crowd into the house of God.

¹⁴with whom we would take sweet counsel together; in the house of God we walked with the throng.

¹⁵Let death seize them by surprise;

let them go down to Sheol alive,

for evil is with them in their homes.

¹⁵Devastation is upon them! May they go down alive to Sheol! For evils are in their dwellings, within them.

¹⁶But I call to God,

and the LORD saves me.

¹⁶I will call to God, and YHWH will save me.

¹⁷Morning, noon, and night, I cry out in distress,

and He hears my voice.

¹⁷Evening and morning and noon I meditate and cry aloud, and He hears my voice.

¹⁸He redeems my soul in peace

from the battle waged against me,

even though many oppose me.

¹⁸In peace He has redeemed my soul from the battle against me, though there were many against me.

¹⁹God will hear and humiliate them—

the One enthroned for the ages—

Selah

because they do not change

and they have no fear of God.

¹⁹God will hear and afflict them—even He who sits of old—Selah with whom there are no changes for Him. And they have not fear God.

²⁰My companion attacks his friends;

he violates his covenant.

²⁰He has stretched out his hands against those united with him; he has profaned his covenant.

²¹His speech is smooth as butter,

but war is in his heart.

His words are softer than oil,

yet they are swords unsheathed.

²¹His mouth has been smoother than butter, and war is in his heart; his words have been softer than oil, and they are drawn swords.

²²Cast your burden upon the LORD

and He will sustain you;

He will never let the righteous be shaken.

²²Cast your burden upon YHWH, and He will sustain you; He will not give a righteous one to be shaken forever.

²³But You, O God, will bring them down

to the Pit of destruction;

men of bloodshed and deceit

will not live out half their days.

But I will trust in You.

²³And You, O God, will bring them down to the Pit of destruction, men of blood and deceit! They will not live even half their days. And I will trust in You.