Psalm 55-57

English Standard Version

⁴ My heart is in anguish within me;
    ^(F)the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
⁵ Fear and trembling come upon me,
    and ^(G)horror ^(H)overwhelms me.
⁶ And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
    I would fly away and be at rest;
^7 (I)yes, I would wander far away;
    I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
⁸ I would hurry to find a shelter
    from ^(J)the raging wind and tempest.”

⁹ Destroy, O Lord, ^(K)divide their tongues;
    for I see ^(L)violence and strife in the city.
¹⁰ Day and night they go around it
    on its walls,
and ^(M)iniquity and trouble are within it;
¹¹     ruin is in its midst;
^(N)oppression and fraud
    do not depart from its marketplace.

¹² For it is not an enemy who taunts me—
    then I could bear it;
it is not an adversary who ^(O)deals insolently with me—
    then I could hide from him.
^13 (P)But it is you, a man, my equal,
    my companion, my familiar friend.
¹⁴ We used to take sweet counsel together;
    within God's house we walked in ^(Q)the throng.
¹⁵ Let death steal over them;
    let them go down to Sheol ^(R)alive;
    for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.

¹⁶ But I call to God,
    and the Lord will save me.
^17 (S)Evening and ^(T)morning and at ^(U)noon
    I ^(V)utter my complaint and moan,
    and he hears my voice.
¹⁸ He redeems my soul in safety
    from the battle that I wage,
    for ^(W)many are arrayed against me.
¹⁹ God will give ear and humble them,
    he who is ^(X)enthroned from of old, Selah
because they do not ^(Y)change
    and do not fear God.

²⁰ My companion^{[b] (Z)}stretched out his hand against his friends;
    he violated his covenant.
²¹ His ^(AA)speech was ^(AB)smooth as butter,
    yet war was in his heart;
his words were softer than oil,
    yet they were ^(AC)drawn swords.

^22 (AD)Cast your burden on the Lord,
    and he will sustain you;
^(AE)he will never permit
    the righteous to be moved.

²³ But you, O God, ^(AF)will cast them down
    into ^(AG)the pit of destruction;
men of ^(AH)blood and treachery
    shall not ^(AI)live out half their days.
But I will ^(AJ)trust in you.

⁵ All day long they injure my cause;^[d]
    all their thoughts are against me for evil.
⁶ They ^(AQ)stir up strife, they ^(AR)lurk;
    they ^(AS)watch my steps,
    as they have waited for my life.
⁷ For their crime will they escape?
    ^(AT)In wrath ^(AU)cast down the peoples, O God!

⁸ You have kept count of my tossings;^{[e]
    (AV)}put my tears in your bottle.
    ^(AW)Are they not in your book?
⁹ Then my enemies will turn back
    ^(AX)in the day when I call.
    This I know, that^{[f] (AY)}God is for me.
¹⁰ In God, whose word I praise,
    in the Lord, whose word I praise,
¹¹ in God I trust; ^(AZ)I shall not be afraid.
    What can man do to me?

¹² I must perform my ^(BA)vows to you, O God;
    I will ^(BB)render thank offerings to you.
^13 (BC)For you have delivered my soul from death,
    yes, my feet from falling,
^(BD)that I may walk before God
    ^(BE)in the light of life.

⁴ My soul is in the midst of ^(BR)lions;
    I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose ^(BS)teeth are spears and arrows,
    whose ^(BT)tongues are sharp swords.

^5 (BU)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!

⁶ They set ^(BV)a net for my steps;
    my soul was ^(BW)bowed down.
They ^(BX)dug a pit in my way,
    but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
^7 (BY)My heart is ^(BZ)steadfast, O God,
    my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
^{8     (CA)}Awake, ^(CB)my glory!^[h]
Awake, ^(CC)O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn!
⁹ I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
¹⁰ For your ^(CD)steadfast love is great to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.

^11 (CE)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!