Psalm 55[a]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil[b] of David.

Listen to my prayer, O God,
    do not ignore my plea;(A)
    hear me and answer me.(B)
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught(C)
    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)

My heart is in anguish(G) within me;
    the terrors(H) of death have fallen on me.
Fear and trembling(I) have beset me;
    horror(J) has overwhelmed me.
I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
    I would fly away and be at rest.
I would flee far away
    and stay in the desert;[c](K)
I would hurry to my place of shelter,(L)
    far from the tempest and storm.(M)

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.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 55:1 In Hebrew texts 55:1-23 is numbered 55:2-24.
  2. Psalm 55:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  3. Psalm 55:7 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and in the middle of verse 19.

Zophar

11 Then Zophar the Naamathite(A) replied:

“Are all these words to go unanswered?(B)
    Is this talker to be vindicated?(C)
Will your idle talk(D) reduce others to silence?
    Will no one rebuke you when you mock?(E)
You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless(F)
    and I am pure(G) in your sight.’
Oh, how I wish that God would speak,(H)
    that he would open his lips against you
and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom,(I)
    for true wisdom has two sides.
    Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.(J)

“Can you fathom(K) the mysteries of God?
    Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
They are higher(L) than the heavens(M) above—what can you do?
    They are deeper than the depths below(N)—what can you know?(O)
Their measure(P) is longer than the earth
    and wider than the sea.(Q)

10 “If he comes along and confines you in prison
    and convenes a court, who can oppose him?(R)
11 Surely he recognizes deceivers;
    and when he sees evil, does he not take note?(S)
12 But the witless can no more become wise
    than a wild donkey’s colt(T) can be born human.[a](U)

13 “Yet if you devote your heart(V) to him
    and stretch out your hands(W) to him,(X)
14 if you put away(Y) the sin that is in your hand
    and allow no evil(Z) to dwell in your tent,(AA)
15 then, free of fault, you will lift up your face;(AB)
    you will stand firm(AC) and without fear.(AD)
16 You will surely forget your trouble,(AE)
    recalling it only as waters gone by.(AF)
17 Life will be brighter than noonday,(AG)
    and darkness will become like morning.(AH)
18 You will be secure, because there is hope;
    you will look about you and take your rest(AI) in safety.(AJ)
19 You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,(AK)
    and many will court your favor.(AL)
20 But the eyes of the wicked will fail,(AM)
    and escape will elude them;(AN)
    their hope will become a dying gasp.”(AO)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Job 11:12 Or wild donkey can be born tame

10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband.(A) 11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband.(B) And a husband must not divorce his wife.

12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord):(C) If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.(D)

15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.(E) 16 How do you know, wife, whether you will save(F) your husband?(G) Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

Read full chapter

Bible Gateway Recommends