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Psalm 55-57
American Standard Version
Psalm 55-57
American Standard Version
Prayer for the destruction of the treacherous.
For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. Maschil of David.
55 Give ear to my prayer, O God;
And hide not thyself from my supplication.
2 Attend unto me, and answer me:
I am restless in my complaint, and moan,
3 Because 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.
4 My heart is sore pained within me:
And the terrors of death are fallen upon me.
5 Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me,
And horror hath overwhelmed me.
6 And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove!
Then would I fly away, and be at rest.
7 Lo, then would I wander far off,
I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah
8 I would [a]haste me to a shelter
From the stormy wind and tempest.
9 [b]Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongue;
For I have seen violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof:
Iniquity also and mischief are in the midst of it.
11 Wickedness is in the midst thereof:
[c]Oppression and guile depart not from its streets.
12 For 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:
13 But it was thou, a man mine equal,
My companion, and my familiar friend.
14 We took sweet counsel together;
We walked in the house of God with the throng.
15 [d]Let death come suddenly upon them,
Let them go down alive into Sheol;
For wickedness is in their dwelling, in [e]the midst of them.
16 As for me, I will call upon God;
And Jehovah will save me.
17 Evening, and morning, and at noonday, will I complain, and moan;
And he will hear my voice.
18 He hath redeemed my soul in peace [f]from the battle that was against me;
For they were many that strove with me.
19 God will hear, and [g]answer them,
Even he that abideth of old, Selah
The men who have no changes,
And who fear not God.
20 He hath put forth his hands against such as were at peace with him:
He hath profaned his covenant.
21 His mouth was smooth as butter,
But his heart was war:
His words were softer than oil,
Yet were they drawn swords.
22 Cast [h]thy burden upon Jehovah, and he will sustain thee:
He will never suffer the righteous to be moved.
23 But thou, O God, wilt 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.
Supplication for deliverance, and grateful trust in God.
For the Chief Musician; set to [i]Jonath elem rehokim. A Psalm of David. Michtam; when the Philistines took him in Gath.
56 Be merciful unto me, O God; for man would swallow me up:
All the day long he fighting oppresseth me.
2 [j]Mine enemies would swallow me up all the day long;
For they are many that fight proudly against me.
3 What time I am afraid,
I will put my trust in thee.
4 In God (I will praise his word),
In God have I put my trust, I will not be afraid;
What can flesh do unto me?
5 All the day long they wrest my words:
All their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They gather themselves together, they hide themselves,
They mark my steps,
[k]Even as they have waited for my soul.
7 [l]Shall they escape by iniquity?
In anger cast down the peoples, O God.
8 Thou numberest my wanderings:
Put thou my tears into thy bottle;
Are they not in thy [m]book?
9 Then shall mine enemies turn back in the day that I call:
This I know, [n]that God is for me.
10 In God (I will praise his word),
In Jehovah (I will praise his word),
11 In God have I put my trust, I will not be afraid;
What can man do unto me?
12 Thy vows are upon me, O God:
I will render thank-offerings unto thee.
13 For thou hast delivered my soul from death:
Hast thou not delivered my feet from falling,
That I may walk before God
In the light of [o]the living?
Prayer for rescue from persecutors.
For the Chief Musician; set to Al-tashheth. A Psalm of David. Michtam; when he fled from Saul, in the cave.
57 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me;
For my soul taketh refuge in thee:
Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I take refuge,
Until these [p]calamities be overpast.
2 I will cry unto God Most High,
Unto God that performeth all things for me.
3 He will send from heaven, and save me,
When he that would swallow me up reproacheth; Selah
God will send forth his lovingkindness and his truth.
4 My soul is among lions;
I [q]lie among them that are set on fire,
Even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
And their tongue a sharp sword.
5 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let thy glory be above all the earth.
6 They have prepared a net for my steps;
My soul is bowed down:
They have digged a pit before me;
They are fallen into the midst thereof themselves. Selah
7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed:
I will sing, yea, I will sing praises.
8 Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp:
I myself [r]will awake right early.
9 I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the peoples:
I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.
10 For thy lovingkindness is great unto the heavens,
And thy truth unto the skies.
11 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let thy glory be above all the earth.
Footnotes
- Psalm 55:8 Or, hasten my escape
- Psalm 55:9 Hebrew Swallow up.
- Psalm 55:11 Or, Fraud
- Psalm 55:15 Or, as otherwise read, Desolations be upon them!
- Psalm 55:15 Or, their inward part
- Psalm 55:18 Or, so that none came nigh me
- Psalm 55:19 Or, afflict
- Psalm 55:22 Or, what he hath given thee
- Psalm 56:1 That is, The silent dove of them that are afar off. Or, as otherwise read, The dove of the distant terebinths.
- Psalm 56:2 Or, They that lie in wait for me
- Psalm 56:6 Or, Inasmuch as
- Psalm 56:7 Or, They think to escape
- Psalm 56:8 Or, record
- Psalm 56:9 Or, for
- Psalm 56:13 Or, life
- Psalm 57:1 Or, wickednesses
- Psalm 57:4 Or, must lie
- Psalm 57:8 Or, will awake the dawn
Psalm 55-57
New International Version
Psalm 55-57
New International Version
Psalm 55[a]
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil[b] of David.
1 Listen to my prayer, O God,
do not ignore my plea;(A)
2 hear me and answer me.(B)
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught(C)
3 because of what my enemy is saying,
because of the threats of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering on me(D)
and assail(E) me in their anger.(F)
4 My heart is in anguish(G) within me;
the terrors(H) of death have fallen on me.
5 Fear and trembling(I) have beset me;
horror(J) has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
7 I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;[c](K)
8 I would hurry to my place of shelter,(L)
far from the tempest and storm.(M)”
9 Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,(N)
for I see violence and strife(O) in the city.(P)
10 Day and night they prowl(Q) about on its walls;
malice and abuse are within it.
11 Destructive forces(R) are at work in the city;
threats and lies(S) never leave its streets.
12 If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
I could hide.
13 But it is you, a man like myself,
my companion, my close friend,(T)
14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship(U)
at the house of God,(V)
as we walked about
among the worshipers.
15 Let death take my enemies by surprise;(W)
let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,(X)
for evil finds lodging among them.
16 As for me, I call to God,
and the Lord saves me.
17 Evening,(Y) morning(Z) and noon(AA)
I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice.
18 He rescues me unharmed
from the battle waged against me,
even though many oppose me.
19 God, who is enthroned from of old,(AB)
who does not change—
he will hear(AC) them and humble them,
because they have no fear of God.(AD)
20 My companion attacks his friends;(AE)
he violates his covenant.(AF)
21 His talk is smooth as butter,(AG)
yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,(AH)
yet they are drawn swords.(AI)
22 Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;(AJ)
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.(AK)
23 But you, God, will bring down the wicked
into the pit(AL) of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful(AM)
will not live out half their days.(AN)
But as for me, I trust in you.(AO)
Psalm 56[d]
For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam.[e] When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.
1 Be merciful to me,(AP) my God,
for my enemies are in hot pursuit;(AQ)
all day long they press their attack.(AR)
2 My adversaries pursue me all day long;(AS)
in their pride many are attacking me.(AT)
3 When I am afraid,(AU) I put my trust in you.(AV)
4 In God, whose word I praise—(AW)
in God I trust and am not afraid.(AX)
What can mere mortals do to me?(AY)
5 All day long they twist my words;(AZ)
all their schemes are for my ruin.
6 They conspire,(BA) they lurk,
they watch my steps,(BB)
hoping to take my life.(BC)
7 Because of their wickedness do not[f] let them escape;(BD)
in your anger, God, bring the nations down.(BE)
8 Record my misery;
list my tears on your scroll[g](BF)—
are they not in your record?(BG)
9 Then my enemies will turn back(BH)
when I call for help.(BI)
By this I will know that God is for me.(BJ)
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise—
11 in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 I am under vows(BK) to you, my God;
I will present my thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered me from death(BL)
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.(BM)
Psalm 57[h](BN)
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.[i] When he had fled from Saul into the cave.(BO)
1 Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge.(BP)
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings(BQ)
until the disaster has passed.(BR)
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who vindicates me.(BS)
3 He sends from heaven and saves me,(BT)
rebuking those who hotly pursue me—[j](BU)
God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.(BV)
4 I am in the midst of lions;(BW)
I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.(BX)
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.(BY)
6 They spread a net for my feet(BZ)—
I was bowed down(CA) in distress.
They dug a pit(CB) in my path—
but they have fallen into it themselves.(CC)
7 My heart, O God, is steadfast,
my heart is steadfast;(CD)
I will sing and make music.
8 Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!(CE)
I will awaken the dawn.
9 I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.(CF)
Footnotes
- Psalm 55:1 In Hebrew texts 55:1-23 is numbered 55:2-24.
- Psalm 55:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 55:7 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and in the middle of verse 19.
- Psalm 56:1 In Hebrew texts 56:1-13 is numbered 56:2-14.
- Psalm 56:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 56:7 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text does not have do not.
- Psalm 56:8 Or misery; / put my tears in your wineskin
- Psalm 57:1 In Hebrew texts 57:1-11 is numbered 57:2-12.
- Psalm 57:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
- Psalm 57:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 6.
American Standard Version (ASV)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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