Psalms 55
1
To the victor; with neginoth1; a maskil2 of◦ David.
Give··ear··to my prayer, O God;And hide◦ not Thyself from my supplication◦.
2
Attend to me, and answer me;I am··restless◦ in my complaint, and I make··a··noise,
3
From the voice of the enemy,From the faces of the oppression of the wicked.For they move iniquity◦ on me,And in anger they hate◦ me.
4
My heart travails in the midst··of me;And the terrors of death have fallen on me.
5
Fear and quivering are come on◦ me,And horror covers me.
6
And I said, Who will give to me pinions3 as a dove!I would fly away where4 I might abide◦.
7
Behold, I would be··far··away to be··a··fugitive;I would pass··the··night in the wilderness. Selah.
8
I would hurry deliverance for meFrom the rushing◦ wind, from the tempest.
9
Swallow··up, O Lord, divide their tongue;For I have seen violence and strife in the city.
10
Day and night they go··around her on her walls;And iniquity◦ and labor are in the midst··of her.
11
Calamities are in the midst··of her;And fraud and deceit depart not from her avenue.
12
For it was not an enemy who reproached me,Then would I have borne it;It was not he who hated me who did magnify himself above me,Then I would have hidden from him.
13
But it was thou◦, a man▵, as of my own value,My leader and one known to me,
14
Together with whom we made· the secret council ·sweet;We walked in the house of God among◦ the tumult▵.
15
Let death beguile them, let them go··down· alive ·into hell;For evils are in their sojournings among them.
16
As for me◦, to▵ God I will call;And Jehovah will save me.
17
Evening and morning, and noon,I will contemplate, and make··a··noise;And He will hear my voice.
18
He has ransomed my soul in peace, lest they come··near to me,For among◦ many they were against me.
19
God◦ will hear, and afflict them,He who dwells from ancient times. Selah.For them there are no changes,And they fear not God.
20
He has sent his hands against◦ such as were at peace with him;He has profaned his covenant.
21
His mouth is smooth as butter,And his heart comes··near;His words are softer than oil, but they are exposed◦ swords5.
22
Cast thy burden▵ on Jehovah,And He◦ shall sustain thee;To eternity He shall not allow◦ the just to be moved.
23
But Thou◦, O God, wilt bring· them ·down to the well of the ditch.Men◦ of bloods6 and deceit shall not live half their days.But I◦ will trust in Thee.
1musical instruments (see AC 8337:5) which were strummed
2Psalm 47:7 identifies “maskil” as a type of psalm. It is named from the Hebrew word meaning “giving intelligence.”
3flight feathers
4as in AE 282:6
5as in AE 537:10
6Explaining Genesis 4:10-11, the Arcana Coelestia comments, “‘Bloods’ are mentioned in the plural, because all unjust and abominable things gush forth from hatred” (n. 374:3).