Psalms 54-56

Psalm 54

¹To the chief Musician. On stringed instruments: an instruction. Of David; when the Ziphites came, and said to Saul, Is not David hiding himself with us? O God, by thy name save me, and by thy strength do me justice.

²O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth.

³For strangers are risen up against me, and the violent seek after my life: they have not set God before them. Selah.

⁴Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is among them that uphold my soul.

⁵He will requite evil to mine enemies: in thy truth cut them off.

⁶I will freely sacrifice unto thee; I will praise thy name, O Jehovah, because it is good.

⁷For he hath delivered me out of all trouble; and mine eye hath seen its desire upon mine enemies.

Psalm 55

¹To the chief Musician. On stringed instruments: an instruction. Of David. Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication.

²Attend unto me, and answer me: I wander about in my plaint, and I moan aloud,

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 writhing within me, and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.

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

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

⁷Behold, I would flee afar off, I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah;

⁸I would hasten my escape from the stormy wind, from the tempest.

⁹Swallow them up, Lord; divide their tongue: for I have seen violence and strife in the city.

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

¹¹Perversities are in the midst thereof; and oppression and deceit depart not from its streets.

¹²For it is not an enemy that hath reproached me -- then could I have borne it; neither is it he that hateth me that hath magnified himself against me -- then would I have hidden myself from him;

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

¹⁴We who held sweet intercourse together. To the house of God we walked amid the throng.

¹⁵Let death seize upon them, let them go down alive into Sheol. For wickedness is in their dwellings, in their midst.

¹⁶As for me, unto God will I call; and Jehovah will save me.

¹⁷Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray and moan aloud; and he will hear my voice.

¹⁸He hath redeemed my soul in peace from the battle against me: for there were many about me.

¹⁹God will hear, and afflict them: he that is seated of old, (Selah) ... because there is no change in them, and they fear not God.

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

²¹Smooth were the milky words of his mouth, but his heart was war; his words were softer than oil, yet are they drawn swords.

²²Cast thy burden upon Jehovah, and *he* will sustain thee: he will never suffer the righteous to be moved.

²³And thou, O God, wilt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days. But as for me, I will confide in thee.

Psalm 56

¹To the chief Musician. On Jonathelem-rechokim. Of David. Michtam; when the Philistines took him in Gath. Be gracious unto me, O God; for man would swallow me up: all the day long fighting he oppresseth me.

²Mine enemies would swallow me up all the day long; for they are many that fight against me haughtily.

³In the day that I am afraid, I will confide in thee.

⁴In God will I praise his word, in God I put my confidence: I will not fear; what can flesh do unto me?

⁵All the day long they wrest my words; all their thoughts are against me for evil.

⁶They gather themselves together, they hide themselves; they mark my steps, because they wait for my soul.

⁷Shall they escape by iniquity? In anger cast down the peoples, O God.

⁸*Thou* countest my wanderings; put my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

⁹Then shall mine enemies return backward in the day when I call: this I know, for God is for me.

¹⁰In God will I praise his word; in Jehovah will I praise his word.

¹¹In God have I put my confidence: I will not fear; what can man do unto me?

¹²Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render thanks unto thee.

¹³For thou hast delivered my soul from death; wilt thou not keep my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?